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For 40 years, staff at the Royal Historic Gardens of Annapolis in Nova Scotia believed that their ginkgo tree was male.
They were in for a very stinking surprise earlier this year.
Male ginkgos are typically the only tree species that are sold commercially, as female ginkgos produce fruit-like seeds that release a noticeable odor when they fall to the ground and are crushed under human feet.
“It has a really bad smell,” said Trish Frye, the grounds manager. “Something like dog poop, rancid butter, or even vomit. I just think it's pretty cruel.”
Fry knows the smell because the seeds appeared unexpectedly in the park this year for the first time since the tree was planted in the early 1980s.
The visitor showed the seeds to staff, who initially rejected the idea that they came from ginkgo.
“We said, 'No, no, it's not because it's a male and we've never had fruit on the tree,'” Fry told CBC News.
However, staff, including the historic garden's gardener, took a closer look and determined that the tree was in fact female.
They also learned that ginkgo trees can take decades to fully mature, Frye said.
“You live with ginkgo for 40 years and then suddenly you realize it’s not quite what you thought it was,” she joked.
Ashley Viola, a horticulturist at the Historic Gardens, was as surprised as anyone, but said it wasn't the first time the wrong type of ginkgo had been planted by mistake.
Montrealer called on local municipal authorities to replace his female ginko tree which was unknowingly planted on his property and produced smelly fruit-like seeds.
Viola said ginkgo is so popular because of its beautiful leaves and flowers. In the fall, the leaves change color from green to bright yellow and then immediately fall off, leaving a carpet of color on the ground, she said.
According to Viola, ginkgos are known not only for their beauty, but also for their resilience. She said it was the only species of its kind left.
“One of the most interesting things about them is that we call them a living fossil,” she said. “The ginkgo tree is the tree that survived the dinosaurs.”
For these reasons, the manager of the historic garden has stated that there are no plans to remove the female ginkgo tree.
Fry said fortunately the seeds don't fall during the peak tourist season in the summer, but anyone visiting once they're on the ground will know what to expect.
“We'll let people know that they should come and look at it and maybe wear nose plugs,” she said.
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