Truth about the origins of Ginkgo Biloba?

I heard a story once that Ginkgo Biloba nearly went extinct, except for one tree that was carefully tended by monks in China (or maybe somewhere else). When modern botanists discovered the tree, they realized it was unlike any tree they knew of today and they traced it back to some extremely ancient family of trees (maybe since the time of the dinosaurs). The tree has since been cultivated for it’s nuts and herbal recommendations. Is this story accurate?