As spring approaches, tree blossoms are releasing a distinctive odor across the California State University, Stanislaus campus.
The Fruitless Bradford pear trees (Pyrus calleryana) are the cause of the unpleasant smell students are noticing.
“They should replace them with better flowers,” Adrena Oushana (senior, Business Administration) said. “Everytime I pass by them I feel like throwing up.”
Dr. Stuart Wooley, Associate Professor of Botany explained the trees emit the smell to attract flies and bees.
“Other than the smell, the foliage is attractive,” Wooley said.
Campus landscape and custodial manager, Hugo Fernandez, explained the trees were chosen for good reason.
“The trees are good for parking structures because they don’t lift concrete.”
He added that the negative effects are not long lasting.
“The new blossoms tend to only smell strong for about a week.”
Fruitless Bradfords are commonly planted around the Central Valley, including in front of many residential homes and down several main streets of Turlock.
According to Hernandez, they have been on campus for 20 years.
“These trees are easy to maintain and very suitable for this location,” Hernandez said.
“They’re useful for all seasons. They have gorgeous blossoms in the spring and provide shade in the summer.”
According to Dr. Wooley, Fruitless Bradfords’ name is a misnomer, as many do have small fruits.
The trees, with their small, inedible pears and white blossoms, line parking lots and walkways around campus.
Adrina Ashoori (junior, Liberal Studies), also shared her annoyance with the trees.
“The white flowers always get on my car. It’s so annoying,”  Ashoori said.
“I always have to get a carwash because they stick.”
Aside from the smell of the Fruitless Bradfords, weak wood is another disadvantage to the trees.
If not properly trimmed, the branches can outweigh the tree and split the trunk.
The branches cannot hold much more than their own weight and cannot hold up to strong winds.