gingkgo trees and pistachio nuts

Dave Harry deh at
Mon Nov 22 19:37:09 EST 1993

>very soft, the skin is wrinkled, and the smell is ...well...
>ginkgo-ish.  The seed husk is very hard, creamy white, and shaped
I'm told this is butyric acid, which is also found in rancid butter.

>I don't think the ginkgo nut is a pistachio nut, but are they
>related?  Are ginkgo nuts edible?  Do they taste good?  How would you
>prepare them?  I can't imagine eating the fruit pulp, but then we eat
>many foods that I never would have tasted if left to my own devices.

Pistachios and ginkgos are NOT related.  Ginkgos are gymnsperms, and are
more closely related to pines, redwoods and so on than to angiosperm
plants such as pistachio, cherries, walnuts, etc.  I know little about
them, but pistachios are apparently somewhat related to sumac.  

As for edibility, you're on your own!  That question is out of my league, 
some people are incredibly brave :-)

BTW, ginkgos have separate sexes, that is female trees will bear fruits
and male trees will have only pollen.  So if you don't like the smell of
the fruits, you can always *try* to get ahold of a male (your local
nursery could help with this!).

David Harry                       Institute of Forest Genetics
deh at             USDA Forest Service, Pacific SW Station
Phone:  510/559-6439              PO Box 245
FAX:    510/559-6499              Berkeley, CA 94701

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