Do I have a Caprifig?

[Miloush]

I’ve got a fig tree growing on a steep slope on my property, mixed with native plants and succulent ground cover. It was already there when we moved in about 10 years ago. It had been cut down to the ground at some point but grew back into a small bush. I never really paid attention to it until now, since I’ve gotten more serious about growing figs.

• Tree looks super healthy.
• Lots of green figs growing on last year's wood (I think profichi?).
• No mamme crop anywhere (on the tree or ground).

Also, I noticed 7–8 similar trees in nearby creeks and washes within a mile. Some of them are quite large.

Questions:

1. Could this be a caprifig? I opened one fig but couldn’t really tell (pic attached).
2. If it’s a caprifig, is there any way to figure out what variety it is?
3. When would I expect to see fig wasps around it, if any?
4. Where can I learn more about starting/maintaining a wasp colony?

 

[GoodFriendMike]

Tree does look very healthy. It could be a Caprifig.
But I am leaning toward female fig.
If it is a Capri or any of the near by trees in the creek's are.
I would guess they would all be seedling's and not named varieties.
Not to many people want Capri and most figs found in creek beds where not planted by people.
All that being said. I assume you live in an area that has the wasp since you
do have fig trees growing in creek's.
I would keep an eye on them. You may be able to go pick some ripe profichi and bring them home
instead of growing your own Capri.
Post another photo when they get closer to being ripe.
Do love the view in the last photo. Not sure where you live. But from that image it is
a beautiful area.

 

[Rob]

I’ve got a fig tree growing on a steep slope on my property, mixed with native plants and succulent ground cover. It was already there when we moved in about 10 years ago. It had been cut down to the ground at some point but grew back into a small bush. I never really paid attention to it until now, since I’ve gotten more serious about growing figs.

• Tree looks super healthy.
• Lots of green figs growing on last year's wood (I think profichi?).
• No mamme crop anywhere (on the tree or ground).

Also, I noticed 7–8 similar trees in nearby creeks and washes within a mile. Some of them are quite large.

Questions:

1. Could this be a caprifig? I opened one fig but couldn’t really tell (pic attached).
2. If it’s a caprifig, is there any way to figure out what variety it is?
3. When would I expect to see fig wasps around it, if any?
4. Where can I learn more about starting/maintaining a wasp colony?

I would also guess that this is a female fig, but a picture of the fig as clear and close as possible, cut from eye to stalk just a few mm in and then broken apart would certainly help. The fig is quite large and it doesn't appear to have been pollinated, so I would guess it is a common.

 

[TorontoJoe]

That has one of the thickest walls I've ever seen

 

[Miloush]

Yes it is a fatty!
@GoodFriendMike, I live i a mountain area north of San Diego. Actually, not that far from Palomar College in Marcos CA, where Wayne P. Armstrong taught. Funny, I just found that out while reading one of his article in Wayne's World! So, I most likely have wasps nearby. I will research it for sure.
@Rob, yes I will provide better pictures when I get back home in few days.

The thought that this tree could be a female crossed my mind as well. However, I've never seen it mature a crop. I think I picked few syconia over the year and as far as I remember they were dry and wrinkly. Although, I wouldn't make much of this observation as I was not really paying attention.

Question: If this is a common then it is not a capri, Smyrna, or S. Paolo. Could a common variety produce a crop that is as "bad" as an unpollinated Smyrna main crop or S. Paolo main crop.

 

[Rob]

Yes it is a fatty!
@GoodFriendMike, I live i a mountain area north of San Diego. Actually, not that far from Palomar College in Marcos CA, where Wayne P. Armstrong taught. Funny, I just found that out while reading one of his article in Wayne's World! So, I most likely have wasps nearby. I will research it for sure.
@Rob, yes I will provide better pictures when I get back home in few days.

The thought that this tree could be a female crossed my mind as well. However, I've never seen it mature a crop. I think I picked few syconia over the year and as far as I remember they were dry and wrinkly. Although, I wouldn't make much of this observation as I was not really paying attention.

Question: If this is a common then it is not a capri, Smyrna, or S. Paolo. Could a common variety produce a crop that is as "bad" as an unpollinated Smyrna main crop or S. Paolo main crop.

Ok, great, the picture will certainly help. Sorry, I should have just written that is doesn't look like a Caprifig, and it could be Common, Smyrna etc. If is was a Smyrna, or a Caprifig, it's unlikely that it would have grown to that size before dropping, unless it was pollinated, or wasp eggs inserted, and it doesn't look like it has been with you picture. A more clear picture will tell us more.

 

[GoodFriendMike]

To answer your question. Yes. Some figs in an area with out wasp will ripen one crop and drop the other.
With San Pedro types. They will ripen breba
but need the wasp or need to be hand pollinated to ripen the main crop.

 

[Miloush]

Here are new pictures. I also added pictures from another wild fig tree in a creek less than a mile from my house.
Pictures from my fig tree: inside, ostiole, and leaf
Pictures from the creek: inside.creek, ostiole.creek, and syconia.creek

Here is my novice interpretation:
• The tree on my property is not Smyrna — the crop is on last year’s wood
• It is not San Pedro, as I’ve never seen it ripen a crop
• Most likely not Capri — all the flowers look the same, which is typical of female figs. I only see what looks like long-style pistillates.
• That would leave a common fig with a breba, as the current crop is not on old wood

Not sure what type is the other tree in the creek.

 

[TorontoJoe]

Very interesting.... I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like later into the season.

 

[Rob]

Here are new pictures. I also added pictures from another wild fig tree in a creek less than a mile from my house.
Pictures from my fig tree: inside, ostiole, and leaf
Pictures from the creek: inside.creek, ostiole.creek, and syconia.creek

Here is my novice interpretation:
• The tree on my property is not Smyrna — the crop is on last year’s wood
• It is not San Pedro, as I’ve never seen it ripen a crop
• Most likely not Capri — all the flowers look the same, which is typical of female figs. I only see what looks like long-style pistillates.
• That would leave a common fig with a breba, as the current crop is not on old wood

Not sure what type is the other tree in the creek.

Inside Creek has short styles and immature male flowers near the ostiole, from what I see....it's a boy!!! That means that these should be growing on old wood and be the Mamme crop? It has no wasp larvae in it, so unless it is persistent, it will drop soon.

 

[Miloush]

Yes, I do think that the creek tree is a male since there is a slight difference in the flower shapes. However, i believe the syconia are profichi as they are still growing from latent buds on last year's wood. I was not able to see any mature mamme on the tree. I did not see any aborted mamme on the ground either.
I think we will have more clarity in June.
By the way, i counted about 8 similar large trees within half a mile along the creek. I am hoping this would be a great habit for a wasp colony.

 

[Rob]

Yes, I do think that the creek tree is a male since there is a slight difference in the flower shapes. However, i believe the syconia are profichi as they are still growing from latent buds on last year's wood. I was not able to see any mature mamme on the tree. I did not see any aborted mamme on the ground either.
I think we will have more clarity in June.
By the way, i counted about 8 similar large trees within half a mile along the creek. I am hoping this would be a great habit for a wasp colony.

Since Profichi figs generally only pollinate main crop figs, I would have to say that these figs are Mamme, and that is why there are none on the ground. Mamme and Profichi grow on old wood, Mammoni grow on new growth. With luck, now, or very soon there should be Profichi buds forming so when these current figs have wasps issuing, they have a place to lay eggs.

 

[Miloush]

Your explanation makes more sense. My inclination toward profichi is likely influenced by my expectation that the profichi crop would be further along in development at this time of year, given the climate here in Southern California.
This expectation is based on my still-rudimentary, mostly theoretical understanding of this complex and fascinating area.

Thanks again for your continued input —I'll provide an update as I see more development.

 

[Rob]

Your explanation makes more sense. My inclination toward profichi is likely influenced by my expectation that the profichi crop would be further along in development at this time of year, given the climate here in Southern California.
This expectation is based on my still-rudimentary, mostly theoretical understanding of this complex and fascinating area.

Thanks again for your continued input —I'll provide an update as I see more development.

The whole process certainly takes time to fully understand. When I first got interested in it, I had just a few questions, and every answer I received led to several more questions, until it seemed obvious that I had to really get out to find trees, take clear pictures of figs in all stages of maturity, read papers, not poor websites loaded with errors, and that was when I really started to understand it. If you look at this picture as large as possible, you can see the female fig on the left, the male on the right. Now both figs are very immature, and have been visited by our wasp, since we can see that both have brownish styles, but the one on the left has very long styles, that makes it a female. To see this well, it generally requires a magnifying glass, especially when figs are only 15mm or so in diameter.