Sexing gingko seeds?

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Lucky_P Hopkinsville, KY(Zone 6b) Oct 13, 2006

I recently saw a thread with photos somewhere - here, maybe? - indicating that there was a visible difference in gingko nuts that would allow one to differentiate those that would grow into males vs. those that would grow into fruiting females.
Supposedly, the 'female' seeds are two-ribbed - like a bivalve mollusk, whereas the 'male' seeds have three ribs.
Looks like that if this were the case, folks in the gingko seedling propagation business would have capitalized on being able to 'sex' seedlings years ago.

Any of you gingko 'nuts' know anything about this?

TIA

Lucky

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Resin Northumberland, United Kingdom(Zone 9a) Oct 13, 2006

Since about 90% of Ginkgo seeds are two-ribbed, methinks there's no basis for this claim at all.

Resin

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undercover_owl Oregon City, OR(Zone 8b) Oct 14, 2006

This reminds me... Back in the olden times of yore, people thought that men had one fewer rib than women, because of the Genesis story. That turned out to be false.

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ineedacupoftea Denver, CO Oct 14, 2006

You proved it yourself, Lucky :"folks in the gingko seedling propagation business would have capitalized..."
You know what the sex is when you graft it on top of the rootstock. Or when it asks to play with trucks or dolls specifically.
There are some cute fables about gender in Mango trees and their seeds, too.

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Lucky_P Hopkinsville, KY(Zone 6b) Oct 14, 2006

Yeah, I 'spect y'all are right.
I'm not sure I've ever seen - other than in whatever photo I got a glimpse of - a ginkgo nut that wasn't two-ribbed/bivalved.

James, someone once told me about a 'male' ginkgo that they knew of which spontaneously sprouted a fruiting female branch, high up in the tree. Few fruit produced, since it was only one branch. Guess Ma Nature will do just about anything to ensure reproduction.

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