Sam Van Aken
Tree of 40 Fruit
On October 26, 2017, The Tree of 40 Fruit was presented by the Roanoke College Board of Trustees in honor of Michael C. Maxey in recognition of the 10th anniversary of his presidency and the 175th anniversary of the founding of Roanoke College.
The Tree of 40 Fruit is a single grafted tree with the capacity to grow over 40 different varieties of stone fruit including peach, plum, apricot, nectarine, cherry, and almond. Created through the process of grafting, the Tree of 40 Fruit appears as a normal fruit tree throughout the majority of the year until spring when it blossoms in variegated tones of pink, white, and crimson, and summer when it becomes laden with a multitude of fruit.
Primarily composed of antique and native stone fruit varieties the Tree of 40 Fruit is a form of conservation, preserving rare, unknown, or now forgotten cultivars that are not commercially available.
The project has value that extends beyond its vibrant colors, as it creates a timeline of when these stone fruit varieties blossom in relation to each other, while also working to preserve certain heirloom stone fruit varieties that would otherwise be nonexistent.