Science Art: Gingko bilobe, Dictionnaire encyclopédique Trousset, 1886 – 1891
Entered By: grantb on February 21, 2010
No Observations
This is the plant that produces those memory-enhancing extracts you see in the health food aisle of the drug store – the one that long-lived Chinese monks reputedly tended for thousands of years, brought from Japan to Europe by Dutch traders. It grew in Triassic forests when the dinosaurs were young. Whether or not it actually helps fight age-related memory loss is still the subject of some debate, but it certainly is a striking plant.
The picture came from the marvelous Old Book Illustrations site, which is an absolutely gorgeous resource. The encyclopedia engravings are just the beginning.
Tags: botany
