Arbor Day may not be the most important holiday on many people's calendars, but it reminds many of the sometimes overlooked flora that increases an area's beauty and overall pleasantness.
One tree on the Ball State University campus has affected much more than shade and oxygen production, and that tree is the male ginkgo tree in the Arts and Journalism Building courtyard.
"I don't know who planted it," Ball State Landscape Architect Mike Planton said. "It's been here much longer than Ball State -- it could be a couple of hundred years."
The ginkgo is one of the oldest species of tree on earth, having been on the planet between 150,000,000 and 200,000,000 years, and belongs to its own family - ginkgoaceae and is related to the group of plants classified as gymnosperms, or conifers.
The tree is believed to have been on the planet during pangea, when all of Earth's continents were one giant landmass. Because of this, the ginkgo may have been a part of what is now North America but died off due to climate change once the continent broke apart.
The ginkgo made its way to Europe after English botanists rediscovered it in Asia. Immediately upon its finding it became a popular street and lawn tree, eventually making its way to the American continent in the 17th century.
"It's not a native tree to the U.S.," Planton said. "It's not even native to the western hemisphere."
According to Planton, there are two distinct varieties of ginkgo -- male and female. The female ginkgo produces fruit and has an intense odor caused by a seed coating that decomposes at maturity, while the male bares no fruit and is typically used for decoration.
Ginkgo trees are also known for their longevity, with some Asian specimens estimated at 2,500 years old.
Before the Art and Journalism Building's construction, the building's plans were altered to leave room for a ginkgo tree.
"I was very adamant about the tree not coming down," Planton said. "Losing the tree was not an embraced idea because it's the largest ginkgo on campus."
Original building plans called for the tree to be removed and no courtyard to be included in the Art and Journalism Building grounds. Once the plans had been altered to keep the tree in its place, studies on wind, sunlight and root growth were performed to determine if the tree would survive. Up until last year, the tree was given rooting hormones to ensure the plant kept its hold and stayed below the construction area. According to Planton, there has been no change in leaf size and little root damage since the building's construction.
The ginkgo saw a short run of fame after the construction of the Art and Journalism Building, as campus tour guides immediately began pointing the tree out as one of the campus' highlights.
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