A “Moon Tree” was recently planted in the Penn State Arboretum inside an expanded area of the Childhood’s Gate Children’s Garden. The tree, a 4′ American sycamore sapling that could eventually grow to 80′ to 100′, was grown from a seed that orbited the moon.

The Arboretum was selected by NASA as one of 300 locations to receive Moon Tree saplings from over 1,000 applicants. NASA picked institutions based on their ability to provide the best possible education about the life and growth of trees in their communities, as well as their ability to care for the different tree species.

The first set of Moon Trees was planted in the 1970s after astronaut Stuart Roosa took hundreds of tree seeds to the moon in 1971. After Apollo 14 returned, the seeds were planted throughout the United States and the world after being germinated by the Forest Services.

Seven of Penn State’s campuses in the Arboreta Network partnered to submit the arboretum’s application. The Arboretum eventually plans to use cuttings from this tree to cultivate Moon Tree offspring on every Penn State campus.

“The Commonwealth Arboreta Network is providing beauty and benefits to every Penn State campus while fulfilling our land-grant promise of teaching, research, and community service in a way no other university has before,” the Director of the Arboretum and Director of the Commonwealth Arboreta Network Casey Sclar said in a release. “This tree from NASA is recognition that the sky is the limit in our growth potential.”

Last May, a Moon Tree was planted outside the Prischak Building of the School of Science at Penn State Behrend.

This April, the Arboretum will host Earth Day and Earth Week events that will feature the Moon Tree.