银杏是一类种子植物，最早出现在晚古生代早二叠世，在侏罗纪和早白垩世最为繁盛，此后逐渐衰落。现在，银杏（Ginkgo biloba）是银杏类植物的唯一成员。

银杏类植物为高大多枝落叶乔木、具有挺拔的树干与独特的扇形叶片。由于大多数银杏类化石是营养器官，繁殖器官很少见；又由于银杏类化石极为庞杂，这里仅对银杏类植物的营养器官作一般性描述：叶一般具柄，叶片呈扇形，不分裂或分为多条裂片，平行脉。

Ginkgoales is a plant order containing only one extant species: Ginkgo biloba, the ginkgo tree. It is monotypic (the only taxon) within the class Ginkgoopsida, which itself is monotypic within the division Ginkgophyta. The order includes five families, of which only Ginkgoaceae remains extant.