TO THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE FRIENDSHIP TREE BOTANICAL GARDEN

The Friendship Tree Botanical Garden is a structural subdivision of the Federal Research Centre the Subtropical Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FRC SSC of RAS). The history of the Friendship Tree Garden dates back to 1933–1934, when breeding site for citrus crops was created at Sochi Zonal Experimental Station and F.M. Zorin began work on breeding frost-resistant citrus crops. A scientific experiment was created: tangerine, lemon, grapefruit, orange, kinkan and others were grafted on the rootstock of Poncirus trifoliata Raf. The first author’s grafting was made by O.Y. Schmidt in autumn of 1940. In 1957, Vietnamese doctors suggested naming the unique tree “Friendship Tree”. Since then, more than 650 graftings have been made on it by representatives of 173 countries. In the later twentieth century, the Friendship Tree Garden represented the achievements of Soviet biological science and widely promoted the idea of peace and friendship among the peoples from the whole world. Currently, 75 Friendship trees grow in the Garden, the crowns of which have more than 3,300 graftings. Over the 90-year history of the Friendship Tree, kings, presidents, scientists, religious and political figures, cosmonauts, travelers, musicians... – residents of almost all countries of the world have left their autographs on it. The paper describes the impressions of famous visitors of the Garden; quotes of their statements are given. Over 500 species and varieties of subtropical fruit crops, flower, ornamental, relict, endemic plants and dendrological rarities grow in the garden. In 1981, a museum was opened in the Friendship Garden. It contains exhibits-gifts (more than 7 000 items of storage) brought as gifts to the Friendship Tree by people from different parts of the world: a handful of earth in a casket or box, a national souvenir, a musical instrument, a piece of national clothing, a relic, a book, badges, stamps, coins, commemorative signs and national symbols. The Garden is decorated with plants that were brought and planted by the guests themselves – as plant symbols of their homeland. An important activity of the Botanical Garden is the preservation and study of the “historical records by generations”, stored in 72 volumes of museum books. A wonderful world opens up to visitors of the Garden, walking along shady alleys and relaxing in picturesque pink gazebos. The whole history and atmosphere of the Friendship Tree Botanical Garden serves as a real example of bringing Peace and Friendship between the peoples of the Earth.