 An archaeological excavation at Garni in Armenia found apricot seeds in a Chalcolithic-era site.Its scientific name "Prunus armeniaca" (Armenian plum) derives from that assumption.For example, the Belgian arborist Baron de Poerderlé, writing in the 1770s, asserted, ""Cet arbre tire son nom de l'Arménie, province d'Asie, d'où il est originaire et d'où il fut porté en Europe ..."" ("this tree takes its name from Armenia, province of Asia, where it is native, and whence it was brought to Europe ...").A large variety of apricots, around 50, are grown in Armenia today.