Like its fellow gymnosperms (pines, cycads, and gnetophytes), the maidenhair tree is an ancient plant that produces seeds and exhibits a similar general anatomy and life cycle. However, this group is descriptive and not taxonomic, therefore not implying phylogeny in characteristics that may have evolved independently. The name gymnosperm implies "naked seeds"; that is, seeds that are not enclosed in a fruit or other structure. On average, Ginkgos and other gymnosperms have larger chromosomes than angiosperms (flowering plants).