Art professor Sam Van Aken created the tree through chip grafting, which involves taking smaller branches from a tree and grafting it onto another, bigger tree.
The fruits in the tree include peaches, apricots, cherries, nectarines and plums – all stone fruits.
Professor Sam Van Aken, who is also an artist, sees the tree as a work of art. In Spring, it blossoms in differing shades of blue and pink.
The project started in 2008 while Van Aken was looking for specimens to create a multicoloured blossom tree. He acquired an orchard which was closed due to funding cuts, and began to graft buds from the heritage varieties grown there onto a stock tree.
The tree accumulated branches from 40 different ‘donor’ trees over the course of five years.
Each spring the tree’s blossom is a mix of different shades of red, pink and white.
He has created 16 similar trees in museums, community centres and private art collections around the US.
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Van Aken says it’s both a work of art and a timeline of the varieties’ blossoming and fruiting.
The Tree of 40 Fruit also serves as a conservation effort, preserving heirloom and rare varieties of stone fruits that are not commonly found in modern agriculture.
The project highlights the importance of biodiversity and the cultural heritage associated with these unique fruit varieties.
Van Aken’s trees are not only visually stunning but also educational, providing insight into horticulture, history and the potential for sustainable urban agriculture.
The Tree of 40 Fruit encourages people to think differently about food production and the possibilities of growing multiple fruit varieties in a limited space.
Would you plant one of these trees in your backyard?
