Ginkgo, Stinko

Two hundred million years ago, the ginkgo tree evolved to be very stinky, because there was a creature that loved it.  The ginkgo is unlike any other tree; not a conifer, not a flowering deciduous.   When pollen from the male ginkgo fertilizes an ovule of the female, it produces a round yellow fruit full of butyric acid, which smells -- especially when it falls and rots on the ground – like, well, vomit.  But there must have been a dinosaur or other creature that found this smell appetizing. So it would eat the fruit and disperse the seed for another stinky tree to grow.  This strategy was so successful that the ancient ginkgo propagated all over the temperate world.   But then an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs, including the ginkgo-eating creature. Later, global cooling wiped out the ginkgo, everywhere except China.   There it was eventually embraced by Buddhist monks who planted and cared for ginkgoes at monasteries, admiring their hardiness, extreme long life, and bright yellow autumn foliage.  The monks propagated the ginkgo and carried it throughout Asia. From there it made its way west and again thrives in every part of the temperate world, in a form nearly identical to 200 million years ago.  Now the ginkgo is popular in urban environments, where it can withstand air pollution, drought and heat. But it’s the non-fruiting males that are planted. Because today, no one loves a stinky tree. I’m Scott Tinker.  Editor’s Note: The script refers to ginkgo “fruit.” Botanically, ginkgo is a gymnosperm, meaning it produces seeds, but not fruit. These seeds have a fleshy outer coating that can resemble fruit.