Have you ever heard of a tree that grows not one or two, but 40 different kinds of fruit? The Tree of 40 Fruit isn’t something from a fairy tale – it’s a real living artwork created by an artist named Sam Van Aken.
These special trees bloom in different colors and produce various types of stone fruits throughout the season, making them both beautiful to look at and tasty to eat.
1. Created By An Art Professor With Grafting Skills
Sam Van Aken, an art professor at Syracuse University, started this project in 2008 after saving an orchard from being bulldozed. He didn’t use any genetic modification or laboratory tricks.
Instead, Van Aken used an ancient farming technique called grafting, where branches from different trees are attached to a host tree. Each graft becomes part of the main tree while still producing its original fruit type.
2. Forty Different Stone Fruits On One Tree
Imagine picking peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots, and cherries—all from the same tree! Each Tree of 40 Fruit grows dozens of varieties of stone fruits (fruits with pits in the middle).
You’ll find familiar favorites alongside rare heirloom varieties that grocery stores don’t sell anymore. Some of these older fruit types were nearly forgotten before being preserved on these special trees.
3. Blooms In A Rainbow Of Colors
During spring, a Tree of 40 Fruit puts on a spectacular show that looks almost magical. The blossoms appear in varying shades of white, pink, crimson, and purple all on the same branches.
Because each grafted variety blooms at slightly different times, the colorful display can last for several weeks. From a distance, the tree looks like it’s been painted with watercolors as different sections burst into bloom.
4. Takes Years To Create Just One Tree
Building a Tree of 40 Fruit requires incredible patience. Van Aken spends about five years developing each tree before it’s complete.
The process starts with planting a single rootstock tree. Then each winter, he carefully grafts new branches onto it. Only a few grafts can be added each year, and some might not take successfully and need to be replaced.
5. Fruits Ripen From July To October
Unlike regular fruit trees that produce all their harvest at once, the Tree of 40 Fruit offers a continuous bounty throughout the growing season. The cherries typically ripen first in early summer.
Next come apricots and plums in mid-summer, followed by peaches, nectarines, and plumcots in late summer. Some varieties continue ripening into fall, creating a 3-4 month harvest window from a single tree!
6. Only About 25 Trees Exist Worldwide
Despite their popularity, Trees of 40 Fruit remain extremely rare. Van Aken has created only about two dozen of these living sculptures, making them some of the most unusual trees on the planet.
These special trees have been planted in museums, private collections, and community spaces across the United States. Each one is unique, containing different combinations of fruit varieties based on what grows well in its location.
7. Preserves Endangered Fruit Varieties
Many old-fashioned fruit varieties are disappearing as commercial orchards focus on just a few types that ship well and look perfect. The Tree of 40 Fruit project helps save these vanishing heirlooms.
Van Aken collects branches from historic orchards and farms before they’re destroyed. By grafting these rare varieties onto his trees, he preserves genetic diversity and flavors that might otherwise be lost forever.
8. Each Tree Is A Living Timeline Of Fruit History
Biting into fruits from a Tree of 40 Fruit is like tasting history! Some varieties date back hundreds of years and tell stories of the immigrants who brought them to America.
You might find Italian plums that came with families from Europe, or special peaches grown on Southern plantations since colonial times. The trees connect us with food traditions that span generations and continents.
9. Sells For Around $30,000 Each
Want your own Tree of 40 Fruit? Better start saving! These botanical masterpieces typically sell for around $30,000 each due to the years of skilled labor involved.
Most are commissioned by museums and art collectors rather than home gardeners. However, Van Aken occasionally auctions trees to raise money for agricultural education programs, giving more people a chance to own these remarkable living artworks.
10. Inspired By Frankenstein And Climate Change
Van Aken’s inspiration came from an unusual mix of sources. He was partly influenced by the novel Frankenstein, seeing parallels between creating a composite organism and Mary Shelley’s famous monster.
Climate change concerns also motivated him. As warming temperatures threaten some fruit varieties, these trees preserve diverse genetics that might help develop more resilient fruits for the future. Art, science, and environmental activism all grow together on these remarkable trees.