by: Kristen Tyson, M.A.
Northern bobwhite hen seeks the protection of a mesquite tree.
Photo courtesy of Mark Tyson.
Trees have dotted the Texas landscape for years, and their
various uses could be pondered for days. But what if you took that tree and
made it into something better, more multi-purposed? Grafting trees has been
around at least as far back as 5000 B.C. when the Chinese experimented with
grafting fruit and nut trees for commercial purposes, and even Greek
philosophers pondered the best way to graft plants. How about growing an
assortment of disparate fruit from one tree? That’s what an artist in New York
has done. Sam
Van Aken grafted stone fruit, of antique and heirloom varieties, to one
tree base. This inimitable tree has grafted branches from 40 different kinds of
stone fruit and has been dubbed the “Tree of 40 fruit”.
Northern bobwhite quail in half-cut mesquite.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Dale Rollins.
As amazing and tasty as this sounds it really is not that
new of a concept. What Mr. Aken has done is preserved fruit varieties by
turning a simple tree into a versatile tree. Wildlife biologists are doing the
same thing, but with mesquite. Mesquite is tree that can be the bane of a
landowner, or a blessing, depending on how it is used. A mesquite tree left
alone can reproduce on such a level that land has to be cleared every decade
just to maintain them, much less eradicate them. However, if a mesquite tree is
half-cut, this once pesky tree now provides the perfect loafing cover for
quail. While mesquites left alone can provide some cover, once they grow multiple
stems they are too burdensome for quail to use. Half-cutting transforms the
mesquite tree into a refuge for quail from avian predators and high temperatures.
Dr. Dale Rollins explains how this technique is used on the Rolling Plains
Quail Research Ranch to benefit quail in the video below.
YouTube video:
Half-cutting Mesquite to enhance quail coverts.
When you produce a tree with 40 varieties of fruit, it would
be pretty accurate to assume that there will be something for everyone to
enjoy. If you aren’t a fan of plums, try an apricot, or a cherry. Like the tree
with so much variety, mesquites can be enjoyed by other species as well.
Understandably, brush and shrub species occupy a lot of space that could be
populated by more favorable forage, but they do serve more than one purpose. Tyson
(2010) suggested that mast producing plants
provide a greater abundance of food items for quail, grassland species, and
predators of quail. During this study which took place in the Rolling Plains
ecoregion of Texas, mast from prickly pear and mesquite ranked 2nd
and 3rd, respectively, in the diet of coyotes. Thus, the importance
of mast producing trees and shrubs to both quail and coyotes in this part of
the state should not be underestimated.
So the next time you are considering what to do with your
pasture of mesquite, think about the tree of 40 fruit and gauge whether you too
could find an adaptable management plan that incorporates these invasive trees.
You just might find that mesquites in moderation are not so bad.
Article on Sam Van Aken: The
Gift of Graft: New York Artist’s Tree to Grow 40 Kinds of Fruit.
By NPR Staff
August 3, 2014