A certain type of tree has been popping up throughout the United States and has been deemed as “magical.” These trees produce 40 different varieties of fruits. These trees generate several types of peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, and cherries.
Throughout the year, however, these trees look completely normal. It is only in the spring that these trees blossom into their colorful form. Each tree of this type has its own, unique collection of stone fruit.
The project to create this tree species began in 2008 when Sam Van Aken, Syracuse University sculptor and artist, found that an abandoned New York state orchard held varieties of stone fruit 200 years old. When Aken learned that the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station was under funded and thereby being forced to shut down, Aken formed his idea that could revolutionize food production. Aken took advantage of the fact that some of the trees in this station were extremely rare, perhaps even the last of their kinds.
In order to salvage the orchard plant, Aken bought the orchard and began his experimentation with a method known as “chip grafting.” Aken was able to perform this graphting through initially planting a working tree, or the “real” tree. From there, he formed a plan to make all of the graphted species blossom at the same time.
Aken discussed his creation, saying: “I’ve been told by people that have [a tree] at their home that it provides the perfect amount and perfect variety of fruit. So rather than having one variety that produces more than you know what to do with, it provides good amounts of each of the 40 varieties. Since all of these fruit ripen at different times, from July through October, you also aren’t inundated.”
Aken has explained that most stone-fruits are easily compatible. Rather than conceptualizing this tree as a single entity, it is best understood as a series of hybridised fruit plants. Thus far 16 of these trees have been formed and subsequently put in museums, community centres, and private art collections throughout the U.S.. Cities that contain the new tree species are Sante Fe, NM, Short Hills, NJ, Louisville, KY, and Pound Ridge, NY.
The trees will blossom in the spring. A CGI image of what this bloom will look like has been established. The tree evidently blossoms with shades of pink, crimson, and white. Then, during the summertime, they bear stone fruit.
