Artist and Syracuse University professor Sam Van Aken has successfully created and grown a hybridized fruit tree that is capable of growing 40 different types of fruit.
Aptly called ‘Tree of 40 Fruit’, the amazing tree was a result of Aken’s technique of grafting the parts of different fruit trees onto a single tree.
Throughout the four seasons, the tree will blossom into multicolored tones in the spring, and grow fruits like peaches, plums, cherries, and almonds in the summer.
The hybridized tree is not only visually attractive and practical but it is also a form of conservation, as it is able to preserve heirloom stone fruit varieties that are not found in the market.
Aken told Epicurious that he “sees the tree as an artwork,” and the way the tree works “not only changes the way you look at it, but it changes the way you perceive [things] in general”.
Each ‘Tree of 40 Fruit’ will require approximately five years to develop and grow.
[via Inhabitat, images from Sam Van Aken]