Gingkos in DC
The gingko is a tree with an ancient lineage as revealed by the Earth's fossil record. Their taxonomic division, the Gingkophyta, dates back to the Permian. Modern gingkos are all in one solitary (dare I say lonesome?) species with no other close living relatives.
They're also really popular in DC as a hardy ornamental tree used to soften up the urban landscape. Here's some photos along 13th Street NW (as I recall). You can see the bi-lobed shape of the leaves (Gingko biloba is the scientific name of the species), the primitive and (to my eye) inelegant way the branches jut out from the trunk, and the curious way that each tree seems to have its own sense of what season it is (third photo from the top): why are some still vibrant green while others yellowed and dropped their leaves weeks ago?
These photos were all taken about a month ago -- they're probably all bare by now.
3 Comments:
And then there's the rank fruit. No need to describe it. If you've smelled it, you'll never forget it. Connie Barlow's The Ghosts of Evolution spends some time on the ginkgo and, in particular, its fruit. One theory is that the flesh of the fruit evolved so that, after lying on the ground for awhile, it would smell like rotting flesh and attract carrion feeding dinosaurs.
Tony,
Thanks for the mention of the "Ghosts of Evolution". The reviews on Amazon recommend it as a fascinating book... be put on my reading list next year.
As a 1st year geology student (I'm now a 4th year student) I remember giving a talk about Ginkgos for my Paleontology class... A living fossil. Speaks to the imagination.
And they survived in such a small spot in China... Together with the preference for male trees (no nasty fruit) that's gotta be killing for its genetic diversity.
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