The Female Ginkgo Tree’s Acrid
Smell of Success
DAVE TAFT
OCT. 29, 2015 New York Times
Simply stated, female
ginkgos stink. This is not a sexist remark if you’re addressing a
dioecious tree — simplified, a tree that grows either male or
female flowers on separate plants. The male ginkgo bears no fruit,
but those of the female are uniquely malodorous. They have been
likened to vegetal vomit (the acrid scent attributable to butyric
acid in the soft outer parts of the fruit), and though hard to
appreciate, it imparts some adaptive value to the ginkgo fruit —
attracting or discouraging interest.
Near the corner of Avenue U and 23rd Street, not far from where I
grew up in Brooklyn, a female ginkgo tree was planted where a male
tree was undoubtedly intended. The sheer abundance of this tree’s
fruits each autumn required herculean feats just to walk past.
Holding my breath, I’d sprint by the tree and the dozens of rank
yellow fruits that lay like stink bombs all around it. My first
encounter with the ginkgo was while running an errand to my
parent’s preferred Chinese laundry, located around the corner.
Having passed the stench, I opened the shop’s door only to find an
overflowing bag of the horrid little fruits on the counter — the
owner still beaming with delight at this locavore bumper
crop.
It was years later that I discovered the tree was a
ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), a species that is the sole living
descendant of an ancient lineage. When dinosaurs roamed the earth,
trees very like the modern ginkgo provided them food and
cover.
Consequently, the plants have some very odd
attributes, including one particularly vivid reproductive strategy.
Like cycads — their gymnosperm
relatives — and ferns, the ginkgo
produces motile sperm. This is not metaphoric sperm: This very
stationary tree produces a wriggling, swimming sperm cell capable
of fertilizing female ginkgo ovules.
Ginkgos (from a distance, at least) are beautiful
trees with bisected, fan-shaped leaves that turn golden in October.
The tree is considered sacred in several Buddhist traditions and
was cultivated in and near temples for generations. In fact, the
tree was originally thought to be extinct in the wild until two
populations were located in China. Such native ginkgos remain rare,
with a preference for rich, streamside habitats.
By contrast, as a street tree, the naturalized
ginkgo is uncommonly sturdy. Very drought-tolerant, it can survive,
root-bound in a tree pit, a number of insults: air pollution, poor
soil, pet waste and the constant salting of roads. The ginkgo may
be one of the world’s toughest trees — in fact, six are known to
have survived the atomic bomb and still grow in or near Hiroshima,
Japan.
I can only guess what the owner of the Chinese
laundry was preparing to do with her collected ginkgo fruits, but
some simple recipes can be found on the Internet for those who wish
to pursue such a culinary adventure. It is important to note that
the fleshy outer part of the fruit (the sarcotesta) can cause skin
irritation in some individuals, so wearing rubber gloves is
recommended while digging out the edible inner seed. Some also
react to the nuts, so limiting the quantity consumed is probably
wise.