Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Posted on 10/29/2025 9:10:38 PM PDT by Red Badger
The smell wafted through the air in the October sunshine. At least one Harvard scientist has likened it to “rancid butter and vomit,” while Jennifer Iida, a spokesperson for Sacramento’s Department of General Services, called it downright “pungent and unpleasant.” It was the sweet aroma of two 75-year-old ginkgo trees in California State Capitol Park, and it’s gotten so bad, officials have taken matters into their own hands, surrounding the trees with metal barriers affixed with zip-tied and laminated signs to ward the public away.
As the Sacramento Bee first reported, the issue isn’t just the odor. It’s the slip hazard the fruit creates as it falls to the ground, which can stick to the shoes of unsuspecting passersby. Some people still are willing to brave the stench of the fruit to forage the seeds inside — they can be used for cooking or medicinal purposes, or even to grow a bonsai tree — which poses another problem as they leave the toxin-filled flesh behind.
"NO PICKING GINKO FRUIT," the signs read.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
|
|
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
Yeah, sure. The trees are doing it. Uh huh.
They do stink, our town cut theirs down years ago due it. In a leaf collection project in High School, I made a few bucks selling extra leaves for a science project.
They had those trees all over the college I attended. I heard they smell like a strip club at closing time on MLK Blvd.. not that I had ever been on one. But they sure did stink.
M. Night Shyamalan did this story already.
Ginko trees thrive in urban street locations. They tolerate soil compaction, salt, lack of topsoil, and heavy truck vibrations. The fact they get to say something to us is thrilling, even if it’s a nasty stink, because we deserve much worserer.
Who knew the trees could say, "pull my finger"?
One of the smelliest places to walk in DC is in front of the National Democratic Club on Ivy St., S.E. There are a number of mature ginkgo trees planted in the parkway strip in front of the building on both sides of the street. Not as bad as a pig farm but disgusting nonetheless. Try not to get the rotting fruit stuck in the treads of your shoes or you’ll bring the funk with you.
“As the Sacramento Bee first reported, the issue isn’t just the odor. It’s the slip hazard the fruit creates as it falls to the ground, which can stick to the shoes of unsuspecting passersby. Some people still are willing to brave the stench of the fruit to forage the seeds inside — they can be used for cooking or medicinal purposes, or even to grow a bonsai tree — which poses another problem as they leave the toxin-filled flesh behind.”
What a bunch of babies! These trees have survived in tact over 70 million years and yet they require fencing and warning signs because you might get some putrid fruit on your Nikes.
Is there no end?
I wonder how much money was invested in the grant that led to the research that fueled that determination about what rancid butter and vomit tastes like. Those Harvard guys know everything!
The seeds are really good, but only the female trees bear fruit. Koreans go absolutely bonkers over the fruit to get those seeds, too. Our Korean-American neighbors always grabbed 5 gallon pails and headed to the park in town when the fruit ripened, and everyone was glad because they hauled off all the fruit and reduced the stink, which isn’t around long, anyway. California should encourage gatherers.
Both male and female trees turn a vibrant yellow in the fall and they are usually semi-pyramidal in form, with unique fan-shaped leaves that have no center veins. The species is one of the oldest of tree species, and the leaves are found widely in the fossil record.
Usually, if desired for ornamental purposes, you only plant male trees to avoid the stink and the stickiness. But perhaps 75 years ago the landscaper didn’t care. They were all the rage in the middle of the last century, like Siamese cats and Pekingese dogs.
They should have planted something native.
Another nasty, stinky landscaper favorite is the flowering pear. It is foul and fishy scented when in bloom and has very weak structure, yet planted all over. It is highly invasive and is taking over native woodlands by storm.
Native to China, flowering pear doesn’t produce decent sized fruit like a regular pear tree and regular pear trees have pleasant flowers and a prettier growth habit with stronger branches.
We used to call them, “stink-o ginko”
So... Does the vomit smell cover up the SF Poop smell?
Is one more preferable than the other?
Well, they can’t leave California.
But they can still check out.
Newsome has been stinking up that place for years. Even the flora and fauna want his kind gone. The left there are the kind that set fire and burn up the landscape to advance their sick agenda.
Even the trees are sick of tree huggers.
“So do not defile the land and give it a reason to vomit you out, as it will vomit out the people who live there now.” Leviticus 18:28
does this still apply today?
The trees and air of california vote “yes, yes it does.”
Eons ago, the sidewalk outside my then workplace was lined with gingko trees. I remember the problem well ... the stench seemed more like sewage than vomit; we called them "shitberry trees".
Who the heck ever thought it was a good idea to import trees that smell like vomit?................
The trees are very pretty and tolerate rough conditions.
As noted upthread, it’s only the female trees that cause a stink.
Make of that what you will ...
😁
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.