{"id":2875,"date":"2013-11-05T08:52:26","date_gmt":"2013-11-05T13:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=2875"},"modified":"2013-11-05T08:56:48","modified_gmt":"2013-11-05T13:56:48","slug":"a-most-unusual-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/a-most-unusual-tree\/","title":{"rendered":"A Most Unusual Tree"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ginkgo<\/a>You may recognize the scientific name Ginkgo biloba,<\/i> even if you haven\u2019t seen the tree it belongs to. Ginkgo extracts can be found in nutritional supplements, shampoos, energy drinks, and many other products.<\/p>\n

Right now is the perfect time to look for the plant itself\u2014its fan-shaped leaves turn bright yellow in fall, and female ginkgo trees drop their smelly fruits.<\/p>\n

The ginkgo is one of our most unusual trees. Here’s why:<\/p>\n

1. It\u2019s a prehistoric relic. <\/b>To find the earliest plant that looked like a ginkgo, you\u2019d have to go back over 200 million years. More modern-looking ginkgoes were widespread during the Jurassic period. However, they\u2019d died back to just one region of China by the time the first people walked the planet.<\/p>\n

But these days, the ginkgo can once more be found all over the world, because\u2026<\/p>\n

2. It tolerates cities well.<\/b> People like planting it in urban areas because pests generally avoid it, and it\u2019s tolerant of pollution, storms, and compacted soil. You\u2019ll find the ginkgo lining streets all over the world, from Tokyo to New York City.<\/p>\n

3. It has unique leaves.<\/b> The ginkgo is also a popular city tree because of its elegant foliage\u2014its leaves are wedge-shaped, with veins fanning out from a central point. In autumn, they turn a brilliant yellow.<\/p>\n

Unlike maples and other colorful fall trees, ginkgoes often drop their leaves within a short period; sometimes most of them fall during a single day. Keep an eye out for this tumbling golden display or watch a short video<\/a><\/strong> of it on our Facebook page.<\/p>\n

4. It has stinky fruit.<\/b> In autumn, you may smell a ginkgo before you see one. The female plants produce fruit whose stench has been likened to rotten cheese. This smell is so pungent that many plant nurseries will only sell male plants, which don\u2019t make fruit.<\/p>\n

Some scientists suggest that this odor once attracted mammals (or even dinosaurs) that liked spoiled meat. These now-extinct creatures would have eaten the fruit and spread the seeds.<\/p>\n

Is there a beautiful\u2014and maybe stinky\u2014ginkgo tree in your neighborhood?<\/p>\n

Photo\u00a0\u00a9 paddockcafe\/flickr<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You may recognize the scientific name Ginkgo biloba, even if you haven\u2019t seen the tree it belongs to. Ginkgo extracts can be found in nutritional supplements, shampoos, energy drinks, and many other products. Right now is the perfect time to look for the plant itself\u2014its fan-shaped leaves turn bright yellow in fall, and female ginkgo […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nature-notes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-Kn","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16901,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/city-living-for-trees\/","url_meta":{"origin":2875,"position":0},"title":"City Living\u00a0for Trees","author":"Kaylin D.","date":"May 17, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"In the mix of a bustling city lined with buildings and people, it can be a welcome sight to see the blossoming branches of a tree in a local park or along a sidewalk. 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