Residents of Les Corts protest against Barcelona's smelliest tree: "It smells like rotten eggs"

BarcelonaOne of the attractions at Mobile World Congress 2023 was an immersive experience created by the company Puig, inviting visitors to travel through the city of Barcelona via its scents. A route that transported you to the fragrance of the flowers on La Rambla and in Park Güell, the aroma of chocolate on Petritxol Street, the sea breeze of Barceloneta beach, the blend of stone and incense in Santa Maria del Mar, and even the wet grass of Camp Nou.

Just a few meters from that grass, however, some residents are experiencing a completely different olfactory experience. In addition to enduring the disruptions caused by the construction of the new Barça stadium, those living on Comandant Benítez Street have long had to contend with what could be considered the most smelly tree in the city. It is the Ginkgo bilobaThe Barcelona City Council's Biodiversity Atlas defines it as a deciduous tree with a conical crown, native to China. It also notes that in autumn its leaves turn an attractive yellow and it flowers in spring. The description includes one final detail: its fruit, which ripens in early autumn, "smells like rancid butter."

"It's unbearable, it smells like rotten eggs," explains María Dolores Parrilla, president of the Corts Sur Neighborhood Association, in a conversation with ARA. Some residents also describe the smell as reeking of vomit. The problem, they emphasize, is the eight female trees—a similar phenomenon exists in Barcelona as well. Fastigiata, who is a male clone of Ginkgo Biloba And therefore, it doesn't do anything—there are trees in the street that, when it's flowering season, leave a carpet of fruit on the ground. "It's very unpleasant. People are angry because the stench seeps into the shops and restaurants," says Parrilla. Fed up, the residents have tried every possible solution. They've suggested everything from chemically treating the trees so they don't bear fruit to finding ways to harvest the fruit before it hits the ground, bursts, and gives off the rancid butter smell. Even in the last participatory budgeting process, they unsuccessfully tried to get the trees removed and replanted elsewhere; in less busy areas, closer to Collserola, and, above all, further from their balconies. The City Council is increasing cleaning efforts.

In response to frequent complaints from residents of Comandant Benítez Street, municipal sources explain that the Les Corts district and the Parks and Gardens department will study how to "minimize the nuisance" that occurs at the beginning of autumn, when the fruit falls to the ground causing the unpleasant odor. For now, the same sources emphasize that cleaning services have been reinforced in recent days to harvest the fruit from these trees.

Despite the inconveniences that the stench of the fruit can cause at certain times of the year, the Ginkgo Biloba It is widely used in cities as a street tree and also in parks and gardens. Its resistance to pests and diseases is one of the main reasons, as well as its unusual tree structure and the colors it displays during autumn.