Sacramento Park Trees Create Vomit-Like Smell And Safety Hazards

Two 75-year-old ginkgo trees at California State Capitol Park in Sacramento are producing a foul odor and safety risks during their fall fruiting season. The female trees release berries containing butyric acid, which creates what Ned Friedman, Director of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, describes as “the same chemical that dominates the smell of rancid butter and vomit.” Jennifer Iida, spokesperson for Sacramento’s Department of General Services, says the fruit creates slip hazards by “leaving the slippery flesh of the fruit on the sidewalk, lawn and the roadway creating an unpleasant smell and a potential safety hazard.” Officials have installed metal barriers and warning signs around the trees. The stench occurs annually in October and November when mature female ginkgo trees bear fruit. The trees were planted in the 1950s by Governor Goodwin Knight and other state officials. (Story URL)