Scientist Creates A Crazy Tree That Grows 40 Different Fruits

Developed by Professor Sam Van Ayken, the original plan was to create a multicolored blossom tree as part of an art project. His project soon veered onto an entirely different path.

The trees he has created are capable of growing 40 different stone fruits (fruits with a hard seed inside). He cuts small branches with buds from different fruiting trees and then affixes them onto branches of a juvenile tree at a point also cut off. Each has an end cut at an angle so that they can be attached easily with a strip of plastic that presses them together.

When the tree heals itself, the two branches fuse together, giving the tree a new branch with foreign fruit. By doing this continually over close to a decade, Prof. Ayken has created trees capable of bearing 40 varieties of fruit (including plums, peaches, apricots, nectarines, cherries and almonds).

Although, since what he’s doing is modifying the non-sex cells, these trees can’t be passed onto future generations. Prof. Ayken stated he is grafting these trees as an art project for people to discover. He hopes to spread them all over the world.

The good news is both of these plants can be used for growing multiple fruits or vegetables in climates where food is scarce.

Artist rendering of the tree.