Syracuse University Professor Sam Van Aken is the proud father of a single tree that grows 40 types of fruit. The artist's rendering of his creation is getting attention worldwide.
The art professor grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania. A few years ago, he learned New York's agricultural experiment station -- a 125-year-old institution that preserves and produces fruit -- was going to rip up its stone fruit orchards.
The result is not an entire orchard in one, but "a couple orchards in one."
The tree contains 40 varieties of peaches, apricots, cherries, nectarines and European plums that date back to the 17th and 18th century.
Growing multiple stone fruits, like peaches or plums, on one tree is possible because what Van Aken does, perhaps better than anybody, is graft.
In essence, he tricks a tree into adopting a new limb, or in this case, dozens of them.
The Tree of 40 Fruit has been growing for nine years. Fourteen are installed around the country, most in public places, like Van Aken's at the center of the Syracuse campus -- alive and edible. (cbsnews)
