Chestnut trees are thought to have become the symbol of Kyiv in the 17th-19th centuries when in 1842 the then Kyiv mayor governor-general Bibikov planted an alley of chestnuts in Bibikov Boulevard (today’s Shevchenko Boulevard) before the visit of tsar Nikolai I. Though tsar wanted to see poplars, citizens preserved exotic trees in their yards. Since then chestnuts have assimilated in the Ukrainian cities and have deeply rooted in landscapes and songs about Kyiv. Visitors, as well as Kyivites, cannot imagine the late spring without white and pink-pale pyramids of blossoms.
However, since then the noosphere of the city has changed a lot. The Day has already touched upon the problem of chestnut tress extinction, burning not only for Ukraine but for Europe as well. Not a single country managed to overcome the invasion of leaf-mining moths that have damaged so large areas of chestnuts that in Europe they are being fought only in most visited places. Some scientists consider it reasonable to replace them with other kinds of trees such as gingkoes.
“Kyivzelenbud” is planning to carry out a capital repair of greenery in Khreshchatyk Street. In particular, they are going to replace several lime trees and horse chestnut trees growing in holes on the pavement by red Brioti chestnut that is not damaged by leaf-mining moths. There is also a more radical idea – to replace chestnut trees by ginkgoes, the symbol of Japan.
“These trees are not very sensitive to frost, heat or insects, that is why now they want to plant gingkoes instead of chestnuts,” Hanna VERHUN, guide of the Hryshko National Botanic Garden told The Day. “The climate in Kyiv has significantly changed since the 19th century, it has become drier. Horse chestnuts have been brought from Greece where the climate is hot but humid. When plants grow in unusual environment, their immunity weakens. Our chestnut trees suffer from new migration diseases. However, if they really plant gingkoes, there will be male plants since female plants have seeds that, when ripe, smell like bitter oil. This smell attracts flies which is not very pleasant. Instead, male plants do not give seeds and have a nice decorative look.”
Gingko biloba is a relict plant that appeared 300 million years ago. This plant has not changed over this period of time. Gingko is one of the symbols of Japan. During wedding ceremonies the newlyweds had to tear its leaf into two parts and in case of arguments put two halves together in order to restore family comfort. And now when gingkoes are not popular in Ukrainian boulevards they can be seen in the town of Hoshcha in the Rivne oblast and in botanic gardens.
