Why Do Ginkgo Trees Smell

When fertilized, the ovules develop into seeds, about 1 inch long, covered in yellow flesh. … The yellow, fleshy container contains high levels of butyric acid, which is the same chemical that can be found in human vomit and butter that has gone off.

What is the purpose of the really bad odor that Ginkgo biloba trees produce?

They have been likened to vegetal vomit (the acrid scent attributable to butyric acid in the soft outer parts of the fruit), and though hard to appreciate, it imparts some adaptive value to the ginkgo fruit — attracting or discouraging interest.

What are the trees that smell like sperm?

More precisely, a Callery Pear, or Pyrus calleryana, a deciduous tree that’s common throughout North America. It blossoms in early spring and produces beautiful, five-petaled white flowers — that smell like semen.