FIGS
VARIETIES RECORDED AS HAVING BEEN GROWN IN AUSTRALIA:
Varieties known to be still grown are marked (*). Synonyms used in Australia are listed in lower case.
A BOIS JASPEE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
ADAM (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
ADRIATIC See White Adriatic.
ANGELIQUE NOIR (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
AUBIQUE BLANCHE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
ABUIQUE NOIR (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
ARCHIPEL - see De L'Archipel.
BETADA (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
BLACK BOURGASSOTTE Excellent dessert fig, medium, broader than long, skin black, pulp dark red. {Goodmans 1914} Whereabouts unknown.
BLACK GENOA (*) [Large Black Genoa?, Black Ischia?, San Pedro (Baxter), San Piero (Glowinski)] Large sized, purple skin, red flesh, sweet & rich flavour (Baxter 1981). Large vigorous tree, fruit large, skin purple, flesh dark red, very rich and sweet, but quality only fair. Not suitable for drying (Glowinski 1991). Still commercially available, Flemings. Brunning's 1914 and 1957 list Black Ischia as the common dark fig grown
locally. Mont Albert #1.
BLACK ISCHIA [Nero, Black Genoa?] Small breba crop, violet tinged pith. Main crop small to medium, oblique pyrifom to turbinate, purplish black skin with dull bloom, pulp strawberry (Facciola 1990). Best purple fig, large and delicious, ripens middle January on (Shum 1950?). Still common in cultivation (Brunnings 1957). (Burnley 1896). Current whereabouts unknown, unless known as Black Genoa.
BLACK PROVENCE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
BLUE PROVENCE True blue, large, late (Brunnings 1916). Whereabouts unknown.
BLANCHE ROYAL [Sci] Whereabouts unknown
BONDANCE PRECOCE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
BOURJASSOTTE BLANCHE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
BOURJASSOTTE GRIS Pyriform fruit, skin greenish-violet, darker at the apex, pulp strawberry, quality fair to good, used in England for forcing (Facciola 1990). (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
BOURJASSOTTE NOIR (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
BROWN TURKEY (*) [Everbearer, Italian Everbearing, Black Spanish, Eastern Brown Turkey (US), Common Purple, Brown Naples, Blue Burgundy, Lee's Perpetual] The earliest fig on the market, huge, pyriform, dark brown, flesh red, juicy, very hardy {Goodmans 1914}. Large fig; first class quality; a good bearer (Railton 1880). Mid to late, medium size, brown skin, pinkish brown flesh, vigorous tree, breba crop light. Can be trained as a hedge of annual shoots cut back each winter (Baxter 1981). One of the hardiest figs, sweet but often a little bland, crops for 3 months from February (Glowinski 1991). [Sci]. Still commercially available, Flemings.
BROWN ISCHIA Pale brown colour; a good variety. Medium. (Railton 1880) Whereabouts unknown
BRUNSWICK (*) [Magnolia (Texas), Madonna] Large, skin violet-brown, flesh reddish brown, a fine fig. (Goodmans 1914). Large fruit, of a pale brown colour, very rich flavour, medium (Railton 1880). Reddish brown
skin, strawberry-amber pulp tasting of honey. Good for eating fresh, canning or preserving (in US). Espaliered against south-facing walls in England (Brennan 1995). Pulp amber, tinged strawberry, hollow at the centre. Breba crop lacks flavour, main crop sweet, fairly rich, oblique/turbinate. Good for preserving, but not for drying (Facciola 1990). (Burnley 1896). [Sci]. Burwood #1 fits this description.
BULL'S NO. 1 (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
CAPE WHITE [Blanche] Early maturing, medium sized, green skin, cream flesh, compact tree, good for jam (Baxter 1981). Baxter includes a photo of a small tree labelled Cape White. Whereabouts unknown.
CAPRI (Imported) (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
CASTLE KENNEDY (Burnley 1896) (Brunnings 1916). Whereabouts unknown
CHEMEGHOUR (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
COL DI SIGNORA NERO (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
COL DI SIGNORA BLANCA (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
CLEMENTINE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
DATTE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
D'AGEN (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
DE L'ARCHIPEL [Osborne's Prolific, Archipel, Neveralla] Good breba crop. Main crop variable in size, medium to large, bronze skin tinged violet, pulp amber. Fruit has better flavour in cool climates (Facciola 1990) (Burnley 1896). (Brunnings 1916) Whereabouts unknown DE L'ARCHPEL [Sci]
DE ST. JEANE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
DE QUARTRE SAISSONS (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
DOREE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
DR. HOGGS BLACK (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
DWARF PROLIFIC (Burnley 1896) [Sci] Whereabouts unknown
EARLY VIOLETTE (Burnley 1896) Facciola (1990) lists Early Violet - No breba crop, main crop small, turbinate to oblate-spherical, chocolate- brown skin, strawberry pulp, fair to good quality, subject to spoilage.
Whereabouts unknown
EXCEL Early maturing, medium size, light yellow skin, amber flesh, excellent fresh fruit, under trial at Narara Arboretum, NSW. (Baxter 1981). Fruit medium to large, ovoid to globose, light greenish-yellow skin, pulp light amber, excellent as fresh fruit, canning or drying, tree strong and vigorous (Facciola 1990).
FIGUE D'OR (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
FLANDERS Mid-season, medium size, greenish-purple skin, pinkish-red flesh, good flavour fresh, under trial at Narara Arboretum, NSW (Baxter 1981). Pyriform fruit with long slender neck, skin light tawny with longitudinal violet stripes and white flecks, pulp light strawberry with strong, rich flavour, excellent fresh fruit for the home garden (Facciola1990).
GOURANDI (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
GREEN ISCHIA (Verte) Possibly = White Ischia. Brebas rarely produced. Main crop small turbinate, no neck or pyriform with flattened neck, pulp dark strawberry, good quality, late (Facciola 1990).
GROSSALE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
GROSSE BLANCHE DE MARSEILLES (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
GROSSE MONSTREUSE DE LIPARI (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
GROSSE MONSTRUEUSE [Sci] Whereabouts unknown
GROSSE ROUGE DE BORDEAUX (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
GROSSE VERTE (Burnley 1896). See White Adriatic.
GROSSE YERTE Large; pale green fruit. Late (Railton 1880)
HILLS LARGE BROWN (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
ISCHIA - see White Ischia
JERUSALEUM (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
LARGE BLACK GENOA (Burnley 1896) Probably the same variety now sold as Black Genoa.
LARGE BLUE = Blue Provence ? (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
LONGUE BLANCHE DE PROVENCE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
MACKENWOOD (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
MADELINE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
MALTA (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
MARSEILLAISE = Marseilles ? (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
MOUISSOUNE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
MONACO BIANCO (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
NAGRONNE (Burnley 1896) Facciola 1990 lists Negronne [Bordeaux, Violette de Bordeaux] - Reasonable breba crop purplish-black skin, pith tinged violet, pulp strawberry, rich. Main crop small, spherical/pyriform
obovate, pith white. Whereabouts unknown
NEGRO LARGE ((Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
NEGRO LARGO (Brunnings 1916) Whereabouts unknown.
NEGRO DE ESPAGNE (Burnley 1896) = Black Spanish/ Brown Turkey ? Whereabouts unknown
NEPOLITAINE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
NIGRA (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
OEIL DE PERDRIX (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
OIEL DE PERDRIEUX Small, dark chestnut, flesh copper colored, firm, sugary, well suited for drying. {Goodmans 1914} Whereabouts unknown.
OSBORNES PROLIFIC (Burnley 1896) Synonym of De L'Archipel (Brunnings
1916).
PALLANE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
PRESTON PROLIFIC (*) Large, greenish-brown, amber flesh, high quality fig, vigorous tree, difficult to pick (Baxter 1981). Large purplish- brown, pyriform, short neck, moderate stem. Trees sold by Flemings under
this name are variably round-flattened with no neck or slightly turbinate. When ripe the skin often tears around the stem. Not mentioned by Glowinski (1990).
RECOURSE NOIR (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
ROCARDI (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
ROYALE BLANCHE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
ROYALE VINEYARD (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
SAN PEDRO Smyrna type. (not the same as Black Genoa) Best in hot dry climates (Glowinski 1991). Good breba crop. Fruit medium to large, turbinate, Yellow-green skin, amber pulp tinged strawberry. Main crop
figs have less flavour (Facciola 1990). (Burnley 1896). Whereabouts unknown.
SINGLETON PERPETUAL (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
SMYRNA Medium size; Pale green colour; very sweet. Medium (Railton 1880) [Sci]
SYMNRA (Imported) (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
ST. DOMINIQUE VIOLET Large dark violet fig. {Goodmans 1914}
ST DOMINIQUE VIOLETTE [Sci].
ST DOMINIQUE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
ST JOHN (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
TOULOUSIENNE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
TROJAN (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
VERDOGNOLA (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
VERDAL (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
VERDAL DE VALENCESSES (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
VERMISSIEQUE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
VIOLETTE GROSSE (Burnley 1896) [Sci] Whereabouts unknown
WHITE ADRIATIC (*) (Verdonne, Adriatic, Grosse Verte, Nebian) Thin brownish-green skin (Brunnings 1914). White skin, red flesh, ripens in February (Schum 1950). Italian variety, "filled with strawberry jelly",
small breba crop has light chartreuse skin, later main crop is blushed with purple. If pollinated the flesh turns a bright ruby red. Vigorous tree, leafs out early so subject to spring frost damage (in California where used in dried fig industry), has the largest leaves of any variety (Brennan 1995). Mid season, medium large, brownish-green skin, pink to red flesh, excellent flavour, eaten fresh, spreading tree (Baxter 1981). Fruit somewhat hollow at the centre, good for drying (Facciola 1999). (Burnley 1896). Still common in cultivation (Lord 1957).
WHITE BOURJASSOTTE [Sci] Whereabouts unknown
WHITE GENOA (*) (Genoa, White Marseilles, Marseilles, Figre Blanche, Blanche, Ford's Seedling, White Naples, Lattarula, Lemon). Large, pyriform, skin yellowish green mottled with white, pulp amber; one of the
best of old varieties for all purposes (Goodmans 1914). Large, pale brown, very sweet, medium (Railton 1880). Light chartreuse skin, rich amber to yellow flesh, lemony flavour at its peak, eat fresh from the tree (Brennan 1995). Yellow-green skin, amber flesh, good mild flavour, recommended for cooler areas (Glowinski 1991). Light breba crop of large oblique-pyriform fruit with light strawberry pulp, hollow at the centre. Main crop blemished by circular brown spots at maturity, thin skinned (Facciola 1990). Facciola distinguishes between White Genoa and White Marseilles. (Burnley 1896). Still common in cultivation (Lord 1957). Still commercially available, Flemings.
WHITE ISCHIA (*) [Ischia] Small green fruit, strawberry pulp. Grown in pots in the UK. Still common in cultivation (Lord 1957). Facciola's (1990) description is similar to Green Ischia except that this one "ripens early" (Burnley 1896).
WHITE MARSEILLES - see White Genoa.
WHITE PROVENENCE (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown.
WHITE PROVENCE [Sugar Fig] Valuable tree, producing a lot of fruit over a long period, beginning in January (in SA?) (Shum 1950).
WHITE PACIFIC (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
WILLIAMS PROLIFIC (Burnley 1896) Whereabouts unknown
UNIDENTIFIED VARIETIES STILL GROWING:
VAR #1 - Large fruit with purplish brown skin, creamy flesh, early ripening, fruit tends to split.
VAR #2 - Fruit with brownish-green skin, pink-tinted pith, pink flesh, leaves deeply dissected with long narrow lobes.
Figs are easily propagated from cuttings when dormant in winter.