Ginkgo trees in the Sint-Donatuspark, living fossils.

In the park stand two Ginkgo trees. This species has existed for 180 million years (Mesozoic) and is the only tree of which we know both the living specimen and the fossil. The tree was first noted by Western travelers in the 17th century around temple complexes in Japan, but not in the wild. It was also found cultivated around monasteries in China, but it was eventually observed in the wild in 1916. In 1727, it was brought to Europe and widely planted in herb gardens and later in parks. The oldest and thickest European tree is believed to have been planted around 1730 in the rectory of Geetbets.

It is actually a conifer, but the needles are fused together and give a leaf that somewhat resembles a duck's foot. There is a male and a female tree. To produce seeds, they need to be near each other. The seeds resemble fruits a bit because of their fleshy appearance.

The tree can live for 1000 years. So these here are still 'youngsters'. Due to its age, it is said to be good for 'memory' according to the doctrine of signatures. After the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, a Ginkgo was the only tree that survived.

It was Goethe's favorite tree, of which he cultivated dozens. The leaf seems to hesitate whether it will be one or two leaves. Goethe noticed this too, and in 1815 he wrote a poem for one of his many girlfriends, Marianne von Willemer. He sent it to her, accompanied by a ginkgo leaf:

Does it live as a single being,
internally divided in two?
Or does the chosen
pair form one recognizable image?
(Translated from German by Mimi Laman)

Jan Rymenams