Hiroshima survivor trees growing in Ljubljana Botanic Gardens
Ljubljana, 6 August - Two species of trees that survived the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima 79 years to the day are growing in the Botanic Gardens in Ljubljana as a reminder of both the horrors of war and the power of survival and peace. The seeds of Hiroshima bombed ginkgo and Japanese hackberry were planted in Slovenia in June 2013.
Ljubljana
Jože Bavcon, head of the Ljubljana Botanical Gardens, with the trees that grew from the seeds of Hiroshima survivor trees.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
Ljubljana
Jože Bavcon, head of the Ljubljana Botanical Gardens, with the trees that grew from the seeds of Hiroshima survivor trees.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
Ljubljana
Jože Bavcon, head of the Ljubljana Botanical Gardens, with the trees that grew from the seeds of Hiroshima survivor trees.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
The Botanic Gardens of the University of Ljubljana had received some seeds of Ginkgo biloba and Celtis jessoensis directly from Japan.
The initiative had been given by Shin-Ichi Uye, a University of Hiroshima professor and activist working to preserve the trees that survived the first nuclear bomb, as well as by two Slovenian professors, Stanislav Pejovnik and Alenka Malej.
As Ljubljana Botanic Gardens head Jože Bavcon has pointed out for the STA, the history of the ginkgo is particularly interesting.
"Ginkgo is an example of a species that shows how resilient nature is. These trees date back to the Permian Period, around 270 million years ago when dinosaurs still lived on Earth.
"Although the species almost died out along with the dinosaurs, some trees have survived. They were preserved in Tibetan monastery gardens where [monks] cultivated them," he told the STA.
While there were different species of ginkgo in the distant past, there is now only one - the Ginkgo biloba survived both the dinosaur extinction period and the Hiroshima bombing.
The surviving ginkgo was growing next to the monastery that was destroyed in the bombing around one kilometre from ground zero. "It was the only tree left there and the one that survived closest to the atomic blast," said Bavcon.
Despite looking dry and dead at first, the tree came back to life, and it is the symbolism of the tree coming back to life that is being preserved to this day.
The trees of peace were ceremonially transplanted from small pots into larger pots in October 2014, and have since been transplanted several more times.
"This is to grow trees of a suitable size to be planted at a permanent location next to the new Biotechnical Faculty in Večna Pot street, right next to the Japanese cherry tree plantation," Bavcon explained.
Just like the Hiroshima survivor trees, through which the Botanic Gardens continue the good cooperation with Japanese culture, the Japanese cherries bring the message of peace.