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Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

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Friday - June 19, 2009

From: New York, NY
Region: Northeast
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Non-native Ginkgo biloba in New York
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

A female Ginkgo tree dropped its seeds. Now, I have seedlings all over the yard. I don't want more female Ginkgo trees. They create putrid Ginkgo seeds. However, I would like more male Ginkgo trees. How can I tell if the seedlings are male or female? Thank you for your answer.

ANSWER:

What you have is a living fossil, one of the oldest trees still surviving to the present day. However, it is native to Asia, and therefore out of our range of expertise. At the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center we are dedicated to the care and propagation of plants native not only to North America but to the area in which the plant is being grown. Here is an article from the wip.net, "South Asia's Oldest Tree Species, Ginkgo biloba, Clings to Life in Indian-administered Kashmir" by Afsaana Rashid that might give you some clues to your problem.
 

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