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154 / Cenozoic
Crane's Ginkgo
Ginkgo cranei
Fan-shaped leaves and paired ovules continued the ginkgo body plan in a species that did not survive to the present.
Structured expansion · editorial review pending
- Time range
- About 66–56 million years ago
- Final stage
- End of the Paleocene
- Geographic range
- North American temperate floodplains · Present-day North Dakota
01 / ANSWER FIRST
What was Crane's Ginkgo?
This archive records Crane's Ginkgo under the scientific name Ginkgo cranei, with an age of About 66–56 million years ago and a range of North American temperate floodplains · Present-day North Dakota. Fan-shaped leaves and paired ovules continued the ginkgo body plan in a species that did not survive to the present.
Ginkgo cranei lived in Paleocene forests after the non-avian dinosaurs disappeared. Fan leaves clustered on short shoots, while long stalks carried seeds with stomatal patterns unlike living Ginkgo biloba.
02 / QUICK FACTS
Crane's Ginkgo at a glance
- Scientific name
- Ginkgo cranei
- Age
- About 66–56 million years ago
- Last recorded stage
- End of the Paleocene
- Known range
- North American temperate floodplains · Present-day North Dakota
- Broad group
- plant
- Archive era
- Cenozoic
- Habitat signals
- Wetland
- Documented regions
- North America
03 / ANATOMY
How was Crane's Ginkgo built?
Overall body plan
Fan-shaped leaves and paired ovules continued the ginkgo body plan in a species that did not survive to the present.
Growth architecture
The available record is interpreted through preserved proportions, attachment surfaces, wear and comparison with related organisms. For Crane's Ginkgo, those observations must be separated from features added only for visual reconstruction.
Reproductive structures
Ginkgo cranei lived in Paleocene forests after the non-avian dinosaurs disappeared. Fan leaves clustered on short shoots, while long stalks carried seeds with stomatal patterns unlike living Ginkgo biloba.
Growth and individual variation
A single specimen does not define the whole species. Size, maturity, preservation and possible sex differences are considered before anatomical traits are treated as typical of Crane's Ginkgo.
04 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
How did Crane's Ginkgo live?
Ginkgo cranei lived in Paleocene forests after the non-avian dinosaurs disappeared. Fan leaves clustered on short shoots, while long stalks carried seeds with stomatal patterns unlike living Ginkgo biloba. This ecological reconstruction is strongest where anatomy, associated organisms and the depositional setting point in the same direction.
05 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
What shaped its ecological limits?
Its populations depended on plant communities, soils, water availability and climate. Changes in any one factor did not necessarily cause immediate extinction, but interacting pressures could reduce range, recruitment and resilience.
06 / RANGE & HABITAT
Where and when did Crane's Ginkgo live?
This archive currently lists About 66–56 million years ago; North American temperate floodplains · Present-day North Dakota. Fossil or historical occurrence data describe where evidence has been found, not every place the taxon once occupied. Species-level age and range limits still require source-specific review.
Documented geographic range
North American temperate floodplains · Present-day North Dakota. This boundary can change when specimens are reidentified or new localities are published.
Time window
About 66–56 million years ago, with the final recorded stage listed as End of the Paleocene. Rock units and dating uncertainty mean the true biological range may extend beyond the known record.
Environmental setting
The archive uses the broad habitat labels Wetland. These labels help explore related records; a habitat reconstruction requires evidence from individual localities.
07 / FOSSIL EVIDENCE
What evidence supports reconstructions of Crane's Ginkgo?
Primary record
Sentinel Butte leaves, short shoots and ovulate organs occur together; cuticle anatomy distinguishes the species.
Comparative anatomy
Preserved structures are compared with close and functionally similar organisms. The method can constrain posture and function, but analogy alone cannot prove colour, behaviour or soft tissue.
Age and locality
Stratigraphy and occurrence records place Crane's Ginkgo within About 66–56 million years ago and North American temperate floodplains · Present-day North Dakota. Reworked fossils and uncertain provenance are treated cautiously.
Open entity records
Links below connect the archive to available taxonomic and occurrence records. A matching name does not verify every ecological claim, and related-taxon links provide comparison rather than an exact species match.
08 / DISAPPEARANCE & DEBATE
Why did Crane's Ginkgo disappear?
Changing climate and forest composition near the Paleocene's end accompanied the retreat of ginkgos from North America.
The last fossil or observation marks the youngest evidence currently known, not necessarily the death of the final individual. Explanations are strongest when timing, environmental change and population biology agree; otherwise the profile preserves uncertainty instead of assigning a single dramatic cause.
09 / FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Crane's Ginkgo FAQ
What was Crane's Ginkgo?
This archive records Crane's Ginkgo under the scientific name Ginkgo cranei, with an age of About 66–56 million years ago. Fan-shaped leaves and paired ovules continued the ginkgo body plan in a species that did not survive to the present.
When did Crane's Ginkgo live?
The current archive range is About 66–56 million years ago; its youngest recorded stage is End of the Paleocene.
Where was Crane's Ginkgo found?
The archive currently lists North American temperate floodplains · Present-day North Dakota. Species-level locality assignments and the full geographic range still require source-specific review.
How do scientists know about Crane's Ginkgo?
Sentinel Butte leaves, short shoots and ovulate organs occur together; cuticle anatomy distinguishes the species.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Completed an AI-assisted bilingual audit of the archive record, corrected identified issues and clarified evidence limits; independent editorial review is pending.
- Expanded into a structured bilingual profile with anatomy, ecology, range, evidence, debate and FAQs; independent editorial review is pending.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS