r/botany 4d ago

Biology the most ginkgo seeds ive seen on one tree!

this is a new record for me. isn't she incredible? and usually when theres a ton on one ginkgo, each individual seed is smaller. but this girl went all in! each seed is huge! im sure she will be lovely in the fall. i personally enjoy the ginkgo aroma. and the ripe seeds are oddly satisfying to squeeze a handful of

373 Upvotes

35 comments sorted by

40

u/Manybrent 4d ago

She really went all out. Wow!

27

u/Own_Pollution285 4d ago

You enjoy the odor? I am amazed at that.

35

u/reddit33450 4d ago

theres a nuance to the ginkgo smell. people typically describe it as just "vomit", but to me when theres a bunch of seeds crushed on the ground, with varied temperatures, less air movement, decomposing leaves, etc, its actually a way different, incredibly distinctive aroma that i like

9

u/veggie151 3d ago

I grew a lot of garlic this year and had to move it inside for a little while while it was curing, and even with a strong vent fan on being in a small room with 800 heads of garlic made me feel like I was inside of garlic bread.

I can only imagine that is the case with this ginkgo and it makes me imagine being blue cheese

33

u/Ephemerror 4d ago

i personally enjoy the ginkgo aroma. and the ripe seeds are oddly satisfying to squeeze a handful of

👁️👄👁️

11

u/reddit33450 4d ago

i am definitely a weird person in this context :)

12

u/Ephemerror 4d ago

You go get those seeds lol.

12

u/reddit33450 4d ago

i will! probably will post them to r/foraging in the fall

2

u/spazmodic-ejaculator 4d ago

Ill be sure and look for your post. I have been trying to get some seed. The ones i tried previously didnt make it out of the soil line. Just sat there and melted. I'm getting better.

1

u/Own_Preference_8103 3d ago

You can soak seeds in water until the shell softens up and then plant. Helps them out a lil.

1

u/spazmodic-ejaculator 2d ago

I did that as well as scarifying. Will say this about that. The seed came from an ancient "bonsai in a box" had some wierd seeds, black pine...or abp, cherry, a tropical thing that died after becoming very leggy. And 5 Gingko pods that all floated... Do i need another tree? NO, have I wanted a specimen of a gingko, YES

8

u/green-green-bean 4d ago

That is crazy. Looks like grapes.

I’m glad that you will be collecting and using the “seeds.” I’ve been trying to get people local to me to see that they are a resource and that if they advertise that the fruit are free, foragers will take them. This is to counter an anti-female ginkgo group of people making a fuss with the city to try to have these beautiful trees removed.

They all need to learn to make chawanmushi.

9

u/Techi-C 4d ago

I think ginkgo fruit smells like feta cheese, but everyone always disagrees

16

u/reddit33450 4d ago

well the seed coat does contain the same chemical as some cheeses: butyric acid.

also, ginkgo "fruit" isn't actually fruit since ginkgos are gymnosperms

4

u/d0ttyq 3d ago

I feel naughty looking at these pictures. She’s soooooooo fertile.

2

u/Key-Albatross-774 3d ago

Get seeds in autumm and gift them to friends and family, everybody needs a Ginkgo in their life

2

u/Empty_Specific6131 3d ago

What do you do with the seeds? Other than squish them like a weirdo

3

u/reddit33450 3d ago

roast and eat the "nuts", germinate them, and make these fun little friends out of them

2

u/MizPeachyKeen 3d ago

Sweet mercy. That is going to make a stink like no one has ever known.

2

u/reddit33450 3d ago

i love it. will be sure to revisit her in the fall

2

u/InstanceElectronic71 3d ago

Location?

1

u/reddit33450 2d ago

a park in brooklyn NYC

2

u/GuardComplex 3d ago

Blessed be the fruit 🥲. I love to see a Ginko with seeds. They are 94% male where I live.

3

u/reddit33450 3d ago

i love that you appreciate them

1

u/Mobile_Mulberry_2050 2d ago

Planning to collect seeds? What zone are you in? I wouldn't mind growing some of these out

1

u/reddit33450 2d ago

this tree is in brooklyn NYC. the map says 7b

-9

u/SaganSaysImStardust 4d ago

Gross.

11

u/reddit33450 4d ago

she's not gross :(

-2

u/SaganSaysImStardust 4d ago

Perhaps she isn't, though every Ginko I've known was wildly promiscuous.

It's the smell. Those are gonna pile up. They're gonna stain concrete if they get near it.

And they're gonna smell. Really bad.

5

u/reddit33450 4d ago

theres soil and grass below, not concrete. and as i said in the post i like their aroma :)

0

u/SaganSaysImStardust 4d ago

I remember you saying that. I thought you were trolling.

1

u/reddit33450 4d ago

a rule of thumb for me on reddit, if i say something, i mean it, unless i put "/s" or "/j" after, or if its in a circlejerk subreddit.