Ginkgos removed due to stench

USA Today reports that the University of Iowa is removing several mature Ginkgo biloba trees, partly because of the stench caused by the fruit.

What the article doesn't report, however, is that not all Ginkgo trees bear malodorous fruits - only the females, of course. Determining the sex of Ginkgo biloba individuals grown from seed is currently impossible until the plant reaches sexual maturity. This may take twenty years or longer; researching a process to sex the trees prior to maturity would likely result in many more Ginkgo trees in the urban landscape, a welcome addition.

Links:

Biology profs lose by a nose: Hawkeyes dump smelly trees from USA Today (Hawkeyes is the team name for athletics at the University of Iowa)

Ginkgo biloba in Ohio State University's Plant Dictionary

Ginkgo biloba interpretative sign from UBC Botanical Garden

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 10:48 PM on February 26, 2004