‘Frankenstein’ tree: discover the technique that makes the plant produce 40 different fruits

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Developed through grafting by artist Sam Van Aken in the United States, the tree produces varieties of peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, cherries and almonds. ‘Frankenstein’ tree produces 40 different types of fruit Forty species of fruit on a single tree: it looks like a movie set, but it’s reality. Nicknamed “Frankenstein”, the plant developed by American artist Sam Van Aken impresses by producing dozens of species of peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, cherries and almonds, which are all harvested at the same time. This happens because they are genetically similar: they belong to the genus Prunus and have the same type of chromosomal structure. The tree is like a puzzle and this becomes more evident during spring, when the dry branches are filled with leaves of different shapes and colors. Grafting is used in the production of the “Tree of 40 Fruits” in the United States Sam Van Aken/ Reproduction Grafting: an ancient technique Although curious, Van Aken’s achievement draws more attention due to its quantity, rather than its innovation. The method used to develop the tree was grafting, known to the Chinese for more than three thousand years. “It (tree) catches our eyes with its eccentricity, but grafting is ancient and used in everyday life to produce seedlings”, explained ESALQ/USP Plant Production professor, João Alexio Scarpare Filho. Artist Sam Van Aken created the ‘Tree of 40 Fruits’ through grafting Sam Van Aken/ Reproduction Used to promote genetic improvement, grafting consists of connecting part of a plant to another – of the same species or not – so that it develop in one go. Basically, the receiving tree has the function of providing nutrients and water to the grafted plant. But be careful, it’s not enough to simply join the branches together. “Nor is it just any species that accepts the graft. In the case of the tree with 40 fruits, the artist must have used a peach tree as a recipient, which accepts a greater number of combinations”, said Scarpare. Artist creates tree that produces 40 types of fruit Sam Van Aken/ Reproduction Budding is the most common way of grafting. In it, a piece of the bark of the “matrix” plant – which will be reproduced – is removed and connected to the receiving species, which also has a part of the bark removed, leaving the cambium exposed – the layer between the surface and the pith of the trunk. G1 showed this happening with orange, in a video from the series “Where does it come from?” Understand grafting g1 Slow process Developed fifteen years ago, the “Frankenstein” tree took around eight years to gain abundant branches and produce fruit. Today, the original plant and other replicas are located on Liberty Island, in New York, in the United States. “He (Van Aken) must have done it out of personal achievement or curiosity because making a tree with 40 fruits is not viable. It is a slow process”, added the USP professor. Peaches, plums and cherries are some of the fruits produced by the Frankenstein Tree Sam Van Aken/ Reproduction g1 tried to contact Van Aken, to understand what motivated the creation, but received no response. In an interview with “National Geographic” magazine in 2015, he said that the idea arose simply from a fascination with the grafting process. Trees of 40 Fruits is in New York, in the United States. Sam Van Aken/ Reproduction Bonsai can bear fruit and live for hundreds of years; learn about the production Where bonsai comes from 📱WHERE IT COMES FROM: see the videos in the series Where does what I eat come from: edible flowers Where does tangerine come from

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