We’re enjoying the annual fruit drop on our native Ginkgo this month. Word on the streets is to never plant a seed grown ginkgo, since you could get a female tree, which according to articles, smell worse than an aging garbage dump. As is so often the case, there is a lot of exaggeration going on. During our fall open house, we ask visitors to smell the ginkgo fruit, and most reply that they smell nothing.
Gingko biloba is just like most other species, including Homo sapiens, in that every individual smells a bit different. I’ve met several people through my life with rather offensive body odor, while others have little detectable scent. Why should ginkgos be any different? In other words, if you grow 100 ginkgos from seed, some will have a stronger odor while others will have little or no odor. Humans have a fascinating habit of making broad statements based often on a single personal experience, or worse, on word of mouth.
Several of our open house visitors even take us up on an offer to taste the fruit…something they certainly wouldn’t do, if the fruit smelled as horrible as is often rumored. And yes, Ginkgos are extinct North American native trees, thriving here until 7 million years ago, which is quite recently, geologically speaking. It is theorized that ginkgos went extinct during a period of global cooling, due to the elimination of their main dispersal agent, dinosaurs. If anyone would like some of our extra seed, and live nearby, stop in this week between 8-5pm, Monday – Friday. Bring a bag, and now that the climate is warming again, you can become the next Johnny (or Jane) Ginkgoseed. By the time these trees get to fruiting size, perhaps we’ll have developed horticultural whole body deodorants that can be watered into the root zone of trees to eliminate the odor.
Amazing amount of seeds(or should say fruits?); is it a blessing or a curse :-))
Thank you for these wonderful posts! Like many plant friends, the smells and tastes can give us clues as to it’s medicinal benefits. These are important characteristics that we can learn from. In the case of Ginkgo biloba the cause of the smell is the butyric acid in the seeds, which has many potential benefits including support for the gut, brain, lungs and blood. Ginkgo biloba has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries. We need to consider a change in our thinking that everything needs to be pleasant and picture perfect, because we miss out on all of the really good stuff from plants just the way they are.
Amen.
Sorry, this isn’t about Ginkgos. I’m worried about my Lycoris in pots. Specifically, 1g pots. I’ve got Ueki, Blushing lady, Haywardii, houdshellii, Kagaribi, and a couple others. Should they be in deeper containers or am I watering too much in the summer dormancy period. My bulbs seem to be shrunken and I’m worried about root rot.
There are several possibilities. Most potting soils degrade after 9-12 months, and should be regularly replaced. As the mix degrades, bulbs sink to the bottom of the pot, where they have no root run, and stay much too wet. The other factor could be nutrition. Light could also cause the bulb size to decrease. The can toierate shade in summer, but need plenty of light in winter. Hope this helps.
One can experience a severe skin rash if one touches the fruit. Collectors should be warned and should wear disposable gloves. I use newspaper sleeves when collecting this fruit. Last year I was covered with blisters after collecting them.
20 years ago, I bought a gingko, a male or that was what I was told. 20 years later it bore fruit, lots and lots of fruit. The tree is too lovely to cut down but the falling fruit is an ongoing challenge.
Having handled ginkgo fruit for almost 60 years, I’ve never experienced any allergic reactions. As you pointed out, however, the fruit is known to cause skin dermatitis. The ginkgoic acid in the fruit behaves very much like urushiol, the reactive chemical in poison ivy. Thanks for the teaching moment!
I will try a better spot in my quonset for light over the winter. The soil part might be a pain because I don’t want to disturb the roots that often, but I’ll try everything I can. I honestly thought I would have it a little easier with them. After getting a couple blooms though I am totally in love and there is no going back. I’ll be ordering some of yours soon. But I’ll make sure they are zoned 4 or 5 and they are going straight in the ground! I spoke to Panayoti Kelaidis at a book signing, and he had some wonderful things to say about you. Thank you so much.
I beg to differ. In Davis, CA, where I live, female gingko trees were banned years ago due to their smelly, messy fruit. A dear friend of mine, though, bought a house decades ago before that ban went into effect, and her home has a female gingko out front. And every year starting in Fall and for weeks onwards, the front yard and path to her door are covered with those fruits. Even without them being squashed, you notice the smell, but it is even worse if one is unfortunate enough to step on one. The smell can best be described as cat poop mixed with vomit, and ones’ shoe soles need to be scrubbed with dish soap and hot water to try and get the smell to abate. I would have replaced that tree as soon as I had to deal with the first fruit drop, but she didn’t bother. Maybe there are some ginkgos that put out less offensive fruit, but I don’t think it is worth the risk; better to just buy a male tree…you still get the benefit of the beautiful leaves and their golden Fall color.