A female Gingko tree. The trees seen so often in city plantings are nearly always male, less "messy." The leaves are nearly all gone and the tree is covered with a lush crop of berries. A male tree planted nearby still has its leaves. Dioecious trees use the same steroid hormones that we do — testosterone for boys, and estrogen for women. This strikes me as clear evidence of common ancestry and a biochemically close relationship between higher animals and higher plants. (Caption & photo by Frank Deis 9/2006)
