My Fig Collection

My collection took a major hit in the winter of 2000/2001. First we had a sharp and sudden freeze in late November which killed many plants to the ground. This was followed by a late freeze in early April which killed new growth and a still later freeze on April 17--the latest spring frost ever in this area--which killed the reviving growth and gave the coup-de-grace to many varieties. All of my plants were killed to the ground. Although quite a few re-grew from the roots I lost more than half my varieties.

The More-Or-Less Identified Varieties

Unidentified variety.

Variety Name	Source, Date	Remarks
284-11	UCR Davis, '99	Commercially available as Galbun or Gulbun.
Alma	Fig Tree Nursery, '85	Tends to weediness; needs pruning, but has very high quality, late-ripening fruit. Synonym: Fall Gold. Killed, but replaced.
Archipel	Paul Starnes, '94	Passible, if nothing better is ripe.
Atreano Naples	Hanc Matthies, '99	Unidentified variety. Loaded with fruit in summer of 2003.
Barese Black	Belleclare Nursery, '01	Ethnic fig.
Barese White	Belleclare Nursery, '01	Ethnic fig. I expect fruit to ripen in 2003.
Bensonhurst	Belleclare Nursery, '01	Ethnic fig. Produces a brown fig similar to Brown Turkey.
Bianci (Marseilles)	Sue Turtle, '94	Good strain of Marseilles for south Georgia. Semi-closed eye.
Brown Turkey	Paul Starnes, 94	Unlabeled item from Paul's garden. Good.
Brunswick	Paul Starnes, '88	Fruit is very large and good in dry weather, but sucks up a lot of water and is susceptible to fruit rots when it ripens in rainy weather. Two survived and recovered.
Celeste	K-Mart, '81	This strain bears on 1st year wood after a freeze. Tends to start growing in warm weather in late winter so it does tend to freeze back
Chicago	Edible Landscaping, '89	Small, but very good. Tolerates hot weather. Also known as Hardy Chicago.
Conadria	Fig Tree nursery, '85	Vigorous and productive. Good quality. Tolerates heat and drought.
EV--Not	Oregon Exotics, '95 from C. T. Kennedy as Early Violet	Yellow striped with red. Very good. Don't think it is Flanders since it does not have the characteristic long, tapering neck. Need to watch it another year or two. One young plant survived. Grew well. A few fruit.
Emma Prusch	Lee Read, '98	Seedling. Extremely vigorous. No fruit yet. Unlike many California specimens, this one is rather hardy.
Excel	Oregon Exotics, '95	Fine flavor and hardy.
Fortune	Don Polensky, '98	Found seedling, Vigorous and rather hardy. Recovered. Much fruit which failed to ripen.
Hollier	David Laverne, '02	Good growth in 2002..
Hunt	David Laverne, '02	Excellent fruit, but hard to root. Replaced plants killed in 2001.
Kadota	Edible Landscaping, '89	A very high quality fig.
Kalamata White	Belleclare Nursery, '00	A very vigorous ethnic fig which produces medium to large yellow figs with a pale strawberry pulp. Good quality.
King	Henry Marshall, '02	Replaced plant killed in 2001.
Lebanese	?, '00	Unidentified. Probably an ethnic fig Should have ripe fruit in 2003
Lind	Hanc Matthies, '99	Looks like Marseilles. Good recovery in 2002.
LSU Everbearing	David Laverne, '02	Said to be very fine quality.
LSU Gold	David Laverne, '02	Said to be very fine quality, but has not yet fruited for me. Replaces plant killed in 2001.
LSU Golden Celeste	David Laverne, '02	Good fig, but A. J. Bullard doesn't think it nearly as good as Celeste. Haven't gotten ripe fruit yet.
LSU Improved Celeste	David Laverne, '02	Said to be very fine quality, but has not yet fruited for me.
LSU Purple	Celestial Nursery, '93	Quality improves as the plant matures. A mature plant produce very high quality fruit.. Not hardy, but invariably recovers and usually produces a crop.
Negronne	Richard Harrison, '95	Condit's Bordeaux. Identical with the commercial variety 'Petite Negri.'
Nelson	Henry Marshall, '02	Unidentified variety. Very vigorous.
Nero (Barnisotte)	Fred Born, '93	Excellent fruit. Reliable and hardy in south Georgia.
Neveralla (Archipel?)	Richard Harrison, '95	A few fruit in '98. Very similiar to but better than Archipel, possibly a bud sport..
Osborn	Edible Landscaping, '95	Definitely Archipel.
Osborne Prolific	Paul Starnes, '94	Unlabeled item from Paul's garden. Very good, but does not like hot weather.
Patrick's Supergiant	Bobby Read, '96	Medium to large, brown to purple fig of very good quality. Not Guilbeau. Unidentified, but not the same as Guilbeau which some say it is.
PS-1	Emma Starnes, '94	Alma, except one branch which bears reddish-violet fruit.
PS-6	Emma Starnes, '94	tawny yellow/pink pulp. Fair.
PS-9	Emma Starnes, '94	Yellow Neches? Fruit fair to good.
PS-11	Emma Starnes, '94	Osborn Prolific? No fruit yet.
PS-15	Emma Starnes, '94	Osborn Prolific.
Sal's Fig	Paul Tracewski, '95	Said to be very hardy, but one of my two plants was winter killed in the La Nina winter of 1998- 99 and the other severely damaged. Good flavor, medium, dark purple fruit.
Seedless	Henry Marshall, '02	Mary Lane. Excellent. Replaces plant killed in 2001.
Smith	Henry Marshall, '02	Replaces plant killed in 2001.
Tena	Oregon Exotics, '95	Sweet, but not rich. Vigorous variety.
Texas BA-1	Edible Landscaping, '98 from C. T. Kennedy Also, David Laverne, '02	Darryl Levy tells me that the "BA-1" fig was found in the abandoned test plot of an unidentified graduate student at Texas A&M during the Alma breeding program. The name "BA-1" probably came from a label found on it or a grid location. Darryl says it is a very good fig in Gulf Coast Texas and Florida, but may be relatively tender to cold weather. Survived. Vigorous regrowth. Excellent small to medium fruit. Yellow with brownish red stripes and light strawberry pulp. Produces a drop of honeydew which seals the small eye.
Yvonne	Edible Landscaping, '98 from C. T. Kennedy	Another Condit hybrid. Like most of them, it is large and yellow with good flavor.

Lost and Discarded Figs

Possibly a Condit hybrid.

Variety Name	Source, Date	Remarks
49 Gold	E. Scharding, '99	Unidentified variety. Killed in 2001.
Adriatic	Oregon Exotics, '97	Has not yet fruited. Killed in 2001.
Armenian	Richard Harrison, '95	Fruit drops. San Pedro/ Smyrna type. Killed in 2001.
Augusta Red	Richard Moyer, '98	Large reddish-purple fruit with dark pulp. Good flavor. Unidentified. Killed in 2001.
Barnisotte Grisé	Don Polensky, '98	Apparently a misnomer. May actually be Bourjasotte Grisé. Killed in 2001.
Beall	Linda Morris, '98	Vigorous, but my 4 plants were killed by the La Nina winter of 1998-99 [mild with one deepfreeze to 12 F (-11 C)] on 12 February.
Beall--Not	Paul Starnes, '88	Dark pulp. Good, but not Beall. Killed in 2001.
Black Jack	Sue Turtle, '94	Large fruit. Fair to good. Killed in 2001.
Brown Greek	Fred Born, '93	First fruit in '98. Very late, probably due to early summer heat wave which caused earlier fruit set to drop. Fair quality. No fruit since 1998. Killed in 2001.
Capri #3	Lon Rombough, '95	Surprisingly good edible mammoni. Killed in 2001.
Capri #6	Lon Rombough, '95	Never fruited. Winter 1998-99.
Capri #8	Lon Rombough, '95	Large profichi; Edible mammoni are fairly good. Killed in 2001.
Capri #10	Lon Rombough, '95	No fruit yet. Killed in 2001.
Capri #36	Lon Rombough, '95	No mammoni yet. Killed in 2001.
Capri #92	Lon Rombough, '95	Never fruited. Killed in winter of 1998-99.
Capri #133	Lon Rombough, '95	Bore very pithy and resinous profichi in 1997. Killed in winter of 1998-99.
Deanna	Oregon Exotics, '97	Like most Condit hybrids, it bears largish yellow fruit. Good flavor. Killed in 2001.
DiRedo	Oregon Exotics, '97	No fruit yet. Grew very little in '97, but fairly well in '98. Killed in winte of 1998-99
F. palmata	A. J. Bullard, '95	No fruit. Cauducous. Killed in 2001.
Gillette (Croisic)	Oregon Exotics, '97	No fruit yet. Seemed tender at first, but seems to have adapted to the climatic vagaries of south Georgia. Killed in 2001.
Green Greek	Richard Harrison, '95	Killed in 2001. Never fruited for me..
Guilbeau	Bobby Read, '96	Medium to large fruit. Very good. Seems similar to, if not identical with Walker. Killed in 2001.
Hâtive de Argentueil	Edible Landscaping, '98; UCR Davis, '99 both from C. T. Kennedy	Labeled as Native de Argentile, an obvious misnomer. An early-ripening small violet fig of good quality. Worth trialing in Northern areas. Killed in 2001.
Igo	Don Polensky, '98	California seedly. Grew vigorously,E but winter killed in 1998-99.
Ischia Black	UCR Davis, '98	All plants infected with fig mosaic. Killed in 2001.
Italian Honey	Herbert Rahn, '95	No fruit yet. Killed in 2001.
Italiano	Don Polensky, '98	Vigorous with heavy set of fruit in first year. Fairly hardy. Killed in 2001.
Italy 215	Don Polensky, '98	An unnamed Italian variety imported by city of San Jose, CA. Survived.
Italy 372	Don Polensky, '98	An unnamed Italian variety imported by city of San Jose, CA. Killed in 2001.
Italy 395	Don Polensky, '98	An unnamed Italian variety imported by city of San Jose, CA. Killed in 2001.
Jurupa	Don Polensky, '97	Relatively tender, but survived the winter of 1998-99. Killed in 2001. Never fruited.
K-7-11	UCR Davis, '99	Killed in 2001.
Kalamata	Paul Tracewski, '95	Label doubtful. No fruit yet. Killed in 2001.
Kazery	Jim Beimel, '98	A local variety imported by a Lebanese immigrant. Said to be large and good. Killed in 2001.
Large White	Bobby Read, '96	Brunswick. Strain not hardy. Killed in winter of 1998-99.
Lattarula	Bill Fogarty, '97	Fruit resembles Marseilles, but Mike McConkey says it give a much better breba crop. Killed in 2001.
Long Island	Hanc Matthies, '99	Hanc says it is, bar none, the hardiest fig he has ever found. Killed in 2001.
Long Island Green	Edible Landscaping, '97 from Hanc Mathies	Possibly the same as Long Island. No fruit yet. Killed in 2001.
Lousiana Round Green	Fred Born, '93	Marseilles, but a fairly tender cultivar. Killed in winter of 1998-99.
Marabout	Fred Born, '95	Smyrna type. Killed in winter of 1998-99.
Maraboute	Don Polensky, '98	Probably the same as Marabout. Killed in winter of 1998-99.
Mayes Yellow	Bobby Read, '96	Marseilles. Poor strain in south Georgia. Killed in winter of 1998-99.
Mirandola	Edible Landscaping, '97	No fruit yet. Killed in 2001.
Monaco	Edible Landscaping, '97	No fruit yet. Said to have large, dark-green fruit. Killed in 2001.
Monstreuse	Don Polensky, '98	Condit praises it highly. Large, grass-green fig of good quality. Fairly tender. Killed in 2001.
Old West	Lou Jacobs, '97	Probably Brunswick. Killed in 2001.
Osborn (?)	Bobby Read, '96	Only 1 fruit in '97; none since. Bobby asked me to look at it since it would not fruit for him. If it fails to give a crop this year, it goes to the burn pile. Killed in 2001.
Panachée	Don Polensky, '98	A chimera which produces yellow fruit striped with green. Tender. Killed in winter of 1998-99. Replacement plant, given me by Henry Marshall in 2002, died in winter of 2002-03 despite being overwintered in my storage shed.
PS-5	Emma Starnes, '94	yellow to bronze/amber pulp. Very good. Killed winter of 1998-99.
PS-7	Emma Starnes, '94	violet stripes on yellow; amber pulp; pretty, but mediocre flavor. Killed winter of 1998-99.
PS-8	Emma Starnes, '94	Red stems. No fruit yet. Killed in 2001.
PS-12	Emma Starnes, '94	Never fruited. Killed in winter of 1998-99.
PS-14	Emma Starnes, '94	No fruit yet. Killed in 2001.
PS-16	Emma Starnes, '94	Brunswick. Killed in winter of of 1998-99.
PS-20	Emma Starnes, '94	Violet/pink pulp; very good. Possibly Osborn Prolific. Killed in 2001.
PS-21	Emma Starnes, '94	Yellow to bronze/amber to pink pulp. Sweet & rich; excellent. Killed in winter of 1998-99. I furnished cuttings of this to several people and hope to replace it.
Rattlesnake Island	Don Polensky, '98	Named for island in Sacramento River delta where it was found. Said to be good and prolific. Killed in 2001.
Read's King	Bobby Read, '96	A few fruit in '98, none since. Not enough to be sure, but it does not look like King to me. Killed in 2001.
Royal	Don Polensky, '96	No fruit yet. Large, dusky violet fruit. Sweet and fairly rich. Another variety I hope to replace.
Rutara	Bill Fogarty, '97	Fruit resembles Kadota. Killed in 2001.
Saint Jean	UCR Davis, '99	Medium, violet-gray fruit with excellent flavor. Negative factor is large eye. Killed in 2001.
Saint John	Edible Landscaping, '98 from C. T. Kennedy	A synonym for Croisic. I will have to study this specimen for a year or two to see if that's what it is. Not Croisic. No fruit. Died in summer of 2001, apparently from damage in the winter.
San Pedro Miro	Edible Landscaping, '98 from C. T. Kennedy	I know nothing about this fig except its name. When I find out more I will post more. Killed in 2001.
San Piero	Hanc Matthies, '99	Also known as Negro Largo, Black Douro and Black Portugal. Large to very large purple-black figs with fairly rich flavor. One plant survived, died in summer of 2001..
Schar Amber	Steve Hagerman, '97	Said to be an Israeli variety, but Danni Yakir of Haifa, Israel who is very knowledgable about fruits of the Holy Land says there no variety known there by this name. Good set of fruit in '98, but it failed to ripen. Killed. No fruit since. Killed in 2001.
Shah Italian	Hanc Matthies, '99	Unidentified variety. Killed in 2001.
Texas Everbearing	Bobby Read, '96	Not Brown Turkey. Very good. Killed in 2001.
UCR 291	Don Polensky, '98	Unnamed selection from Condit's breeding program at Riverside, CA. Commercially available. Killed in 2001.
Ventura	Edible Landscaping, '98	Unidentified variety, apparently well-known in California. Killed in 2001.
Verdal Longue	UCR Davis, '98	Verdal. Green tinged with violet. Sweet and rich. Killed in 2001.
Verte	Edible Landscaping, '97	Also known as Green Ischia. No fruit yet. Killed in 2001.
Walker	Chris Inhulsen, '96	No fruit yet for me. Chris says fruit resembles his Guilbeau. Killed in winter of 1998-99.
White Russian	Fred Born, '95	Definitely Marseilles. Killed in 2001.
Yellow Neches	UCR Davis, '99	A yellow fig of mediocre quality. Desirable only as a specimen of colonial-period figs. Easily identified by swollen stalk. Killed in 2001.