Friendship Tree, Citrus tree monument in Sochi, Russia.
The Friendship Tree grows in the Subtropical Botanical Garden of Sochi and displays around 45 different citrus varieties grafted onto its branches over many decades. The tree stands within a museum complex featuring exhibits, ornamental ponds, and garden paths where visitors can observe the grafted specimens.
The tree began as a scientific experiment at the Sochi Agricultural Station in 1940, when arctic explorer Otto Schmidt grafted the first citrus bud onto it. Over time, people from many countries added their own grafts, transforming it into a living international project.
The tree received its name from Vietnamese doctors in 1957, establishing a tradition where visitors from around the world leave their own grafts marked with metal tags.
The tree is located in a garden with marked paths and information signs to help visitors understand the various grafts. Plan to walk slowly around the specimen to appreciate the details of each branch and the identification tags from different countries.
The tree bears grafts from more than 160 different countries, each marked with its own metal tag showing its origin. This makes it a rare botanical archive of international collaboration spanning many decades.
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