An email from him this morning:
“There’s an interesting thing that I just noticed for the first time about the 3 Ginkgo Biloba trees in the front. The middle one is a female. This is EXTREMELY rare; the trees are “dioecious,” which means that the species exists as male and female plants. But, the males are normally the only ones that are planted; usually propagated by cloning. The reason for this is apparent if you walk to the curb under the middle tree. You will be stepping upon many, many, squashed orange “fruits,” that have a stinky, rancid odor. So, cities prefer to plant just the males. Both sexes look identical when they’re not flowering.
If you Google the Ginkgo tree, you will find that it is a living fossil; only a single species remains today. People sometimes make a “tea” out of the leaves, and capsules of the leaf extract are sold as “memory enhancers.” This is controversial however, with UN-proven claims.” - R.R.
