Which Is The Best VdB Variant?

I’ve often wondered about the origin of the name ‘petite aubique’ in french. Petite is feminine little, but unless aubique is a town or region, I’m wondering if it isn’t au (to the) bique (goat). One online translator took an entry of petite au bique to english as ‘little one’ which would certainly be descriptive. Does any one know the origin? I notice Baud has a synonym for Negronne as Petite Ambique which I suspect is a typo.
 
scott_va said:
I’ve often wondered about the origin of the name ‘petite aubique’ in french. Petite is feminine little, but unless aubique is a town or region, I’m wondering if it isn’t au (to the) bique (goat). One online translator took an entry of petite au bique to english as ‘little one’ which would certainly be descriptive. Does any one know the origin? I notice Baud has a synonym for Negronne as Petite Ambique which I suspect is a typo.
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It’s mentioned by Condit as a synonym for VdB. I don’t know its exact origin, but you can read what Condit has to say about it in the screenshots for those interested. He doesn’t state what “Aubique” refers to exactly. But maybe it’s a reference to Aubiquoun?

IMG_2596.jpegIMG_2597.jpegIMG_2598.jpeg
 
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scott_va said:
I’ve often wondered about the origin of the name ‘petite aubique’ in french. Petite is feminine little, but unless aubique is a town or region, I’m wondering if it isn’t au (to the) bique (goat). One online translator took an entry of petite au bique to english as ‘little one’ which would certainly be descriptive. Does any one know the origin? I notice Baud has a synonym for Negronne as Petite Ambique which I suspect is a typo.
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😃😂

IMG_2599.jpeg
 
Apologies for such a late reply. I lost Vallecalda years back and VN was not baring a lot of figs so I culled it. The figs were excellent tasting however it just would not produce enough in my climate. I have since replaced it with Fico Citrulara (aka Fico Piombinese) which is a larger fruit and tastes real well. So far, seems to like my environment.
 
I only have Negronne and it has not been very productive in its second leaf. It had a breba and 2 main I think. The taste was fantastic for a fig ripened here in October when it is cold and wet. It was one of my best dark figs last year as far as taste and texture.
 
@Figgin' A / aka Oak Fig. Clearly has a superior phenotype of VDB. Apparently it was purchased from Garrett 4534 on figbid, and I have long coveted a cutting from this wonderful fig tree since I first heard about it. His VDB seems to be outperforming anyone else's, it's my personal belief for whatever it's worth that we spend a little too much time focusing on varieties, when we should instead focus on Superior phenotypes. I spent a good part of an afternoon communicating with @Figgin' A about his VDB, and begged him for a cutting or two from it. I believe he's got the best VDB phenotype on both platforms. Our FF platform, and the old house (OF). Valerie if I could Prevail upon you do not worry so much about the variety of VDB, and just get a couple cuttings from this tree I think you would be amazed. I come from a hemp clone Factory background. We got to see a (((lot))) of cuttings. Has the years went by I began to believe more and more in the theory of superior phenotypes. Once a good one seems to be established it tends to retain its Superior characteristics. Many times I have received four, or five cuttings from the same Source, same grower, same variety. Amazingly one will just be better than all the rest. Also for whatever reason it's Superior characteristics would tend to be retained. Sometimes for many years. In my earlier years we would get a coveted and long sought after cutting of a specific variety. We would take 50 cuttings from the variety. roughly from the same area of the plant. Each cutting would get a number to identify it. Right from the start you would see a few of the 50 cuttings just have Superior characteristics. Or be a superior phenotype of the variety. This would come up more often for fig Growers except they're just not cultivating as many cuttings of a single variety for Superior phenotypes to crop up. That's why this subject tends to be more of a myth than a reality. It's my personal belief that within our community there exist Superior phenotypes of figs irregardless of the variety they were propagated from.
 
I will name another Superior phenotype that I was able to get three cuttings of. @ForbiddenFruit.Garden Has a WM with Superior phenotype characteristics. He calls his WM the Beast. He clearly considers it very different from other WM varieties. I do as well. I begged him for some time and was able to obtain three cuttings of his that I then lost track of in a refrigerator crisper drawer.. I had lost track of the WM cuttings for far too many months. When I planted the three, two of them came up quite vigorously. They are still growing gangbusters in my home Orchard. There's just something about them. Those cutting seem to have a super Vigor about them. I had grown a few other WM cuttings given to me from the crfg foothill chapter. They were good but they did not have the superior vigor that the Beast cuttings had.. as I have said above there's just something about them.
 
Figless said:
@Figgin' A / aka Oak Fig. Clearly has a superior phenotype of VDB. Apparently it was purchased from Garrett 4534 on figbid, and I have long coveted a cutting from this wonderful fig tree since I first heard about it. His VDB seems to be outperforming anyone else's, it's my personal belief for whatever it's worth that we spend a little too much time focusing on varieties, when we should instead focus on Superior phenotypes. I spent a good part of an afternoon communicating with @Figgin' A about his VDB, and begged him for a cutting or two from it. I believe he's got the best VDB phenotype on both platforms. Our FF platform, and the old house (OF). Valerie if I could Prevail upon you do not worry so much about the variety of VDB, and just get a couple cuttings from this tree I think you would be amazed. I come from a hemp clone Factory background. We got to see a (((lot))) of cuttings. Has the years went by I began to believe more and more in the theory of superior phenotypes. Once a good one seems to be established it tends to retain its Superior characteristics. Many times I have received four, or five cuttings from the same Source, same grower, same variety. Amazingly one will just be better than all the rest. Also for whatever reason it's Superior characteristics would tend to be retained. Sometimes for many years. In my earlier years we would get a coveted and long sought after cutting of a specific variety. We would take 50 cuttings from the variety. roughly from the same area of the plant. Each cutting would get a number to identify it. Right from the start you would see a few of the 50 cuttings just have Superior characteristics. Or be a superior phenotype of the variety. This would come up more often for fig Growers except they're just not cultivating as many cuttings of a single variety for Superior phenotypes to crop up. That's why this subject tends to be more of a myth than a reality. It's my personal belief that within our community there exist Superior phenotypes of figs irregardless of the variety they were propagated from.
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There wasn't any begging, as far as I recall :D I saved a couple of cuttings for you, my friend. I will be going to the US in the near future and will ship from there. I hope you like it a lot more than one member from OF community to whom I sent a cutting last year and which he culled he same year. What a waste that was...
 
scott_va said:
It looks like Aubiquoun came from Provence and in Provencal or Occitan would mean everywhere or ubiquitous while Figuo was a corruption of the Provencal Figo which originated from the latin Ficus, all meaning fig. So Petite Aubique maybe would be the little fig found
everywhere. https://terres-dazur.com/en/the-fig/
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That’s interesting! The name would make sense as well given how much that variety seems to have been grown at that time in the area.
 
Figless said:
…if I could Prevail upon you do not worry so much about the variety of VDB, … I come from a hemp clone Factory background. We got to see a (((lot))) of cuttings. Has the years went by I began to believe more and more in the theory of superior phenotypes. Once a good one seems to be established it tends to retain its Superior characteristics. …
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Yep, that’s why I started this thread, to see which of these VdB synonyms was a superior phenotype. I would like to get one that has reported success in inland CA, since VdB seems to be climate sensitive.

“Hemp”. 😏
 
Figgin' A said:
My VDB from Garrett4534 on FigBid has been spectacular by my standards. It is one of my best trees overall, considering growth vigor, health, productivity, split resistance, ability to ripen multiple figs simultaneously, and taste.

It was quite productive in it's first year, 60 out of 80 ripened figs.
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Last season (its second season), it set and ripened around 230 figs for me.
pan-5.jpg

pan-7.jpg

pan-8.jpg
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We were able to get VDB cuttings from Garrett4534. They are on the way! Hopefully we can replicate your results. He was flattered to know he was mentioned here.
This will give us VDB from three sources. Comparing them will be interesting.
 
I've tried several, though never Negronne.
Since it seems impossible to get BC, I may have to get a Negronne and see if it fares well here in the south.
Some good info in this thread.
 
ktrain said:
I've tried several, though never Negronne.
Since it seems impossible to get BC, I may have to get a Negronne and see if it fares well here in the south.
Some good info in this thread.
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It makes you think for sure. And consider things like where it’s grown, How it’s maintained, pruning, sun exposure, and so on.
How do these affect the plant even if they originally came from the same mother. How long do new phenotypes take to form?
 
SpiritFarmVa said:
It makes you think for sure. And consider things like where it’s grown, How it’s maintained, pruning, sun exposure, and so on.
How do these affect the plant even if they originally came from the same mother. How long do new phenotypes take to form?
Click to expand...
Yea, I still have 1 VdB and 1 Petite Aubique.
VdB is the slower of the two.
I've seen some of our members who grow Negronne, it does well for them.
Peaks my interest because they are very good tasting figs.
 
Inflorescence said:
Negronne is supposed to be identical to VdB from what I’ve read. But obviously I am not growing it myself to give firsthand info.
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Sometimes with synonyms you wonder if there is an original out there. Like is an original Negronne out there but being so similar it was mixed in with VDB and just from then on assumed to be the same? But at one time it was at least a unique phenotype?
 
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