How does Ginkgo biloba differ from flowering plants?

Ginkgo biloba is a gymnosperm, which fundamentally distinguishes it from angiosperms, or flowering plants. While they share some superficial similarities, such as being woody trees with broad leaves, they differ significantly in their reproductive biology and anatomy.12

Key Differences

• Seed Development: The most critical distinction is that angiosperms produce seeds enclosed within an ovary, which develops into a protective fruit. In contrast, Ginkgo is a gymnosperm, meaning it produces "naked seeds" that are not enclosed in an ovary or fruit.2
• Reproductive Structures: Angiosperms reproduce using flowers, which may contain both male and female parts. Ginkgo lacks flowers; instead, it is strictly dioecious, meaning male and female reproductive structures (microstrobili and ovules) are borne on separate trees.123
• Sperm Motility: Ginkgo is one of the few remaining seed plants that possess motile, multiflagellated sperm, a primitive trait not found in flowering plants.43
• Conducting Tissues: Most angiosperms possess specialized conducting tissues known as vessels in their xylem, whereas Ginkgo lacks these structures.2