The common fig (Ficus carica) often causes confusion regarding its classification as a tree or a bush. This uncertainty stems from the plant’s flexible growth habit and the various ways it is managed in cultivation. The fig’s natural tendency to grow multiple stems, combined with human intervention, means it can present as either a low, spreading shrub or a small tree. Understanding the fig requires considering its botanical classification and its relationship with its environment and growers.
The Fig’s Natural Growth Habit
The common fig is botanically defined as a deciduous tree or a large shrub belonging to the Moraceae family. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, the fig plant is robust and adaptable, typically reaching 10 to 30 feet tall and wide. It exhibits a rounded, spreading habit with smooth, whitish bark.
Its tendency to produce multiple stems, or suckers, allows it to form thickets, a characteristic associated with a shrub. However, without pruning, it can develop a single, dominant trunk and reach heights up to 33 feet, consistent with a small tree. The fig naturally bridges the gap between a large shrub and a small tree, with its final form dictated by environment and management.
What Exactly Is a Fig Botanically
The fig itself is not a true fruit in the traditional sense, but rather a unique structure known as a syconium. A syconium is an inverted flower cluster, a fleshy, hollow receptacle that encloses hundreds of tiny flowers on its inner wall. The small opening at the apex, called the ostiole, allows the specialized fig wasp to enter for pollination in some wild species.
Once pollinated, the internal flowers develop into small, single-seeded fruits called drupelets, which are the crunchy “seeds” found inside the fig flesh. Many commercially grown fig varieties are parthenocarpic, meaning they develop the edible syconium without pollination or the presence of the fig wasp. When consumed, this fleshy, ripened structure is botanically classified as an infructescence, a type of multiple and accessory fruit.
Shaping the Fig Plant Through Cultivation
The confusion about the fig’s identity persists because growers intentionally manipulate its shape. In cultivation, fig plants are frequently pruned and trained to maintain a multi-stemmed, shrub-like form for practical reasons. This shorter, wider bush form allows for easier harvesting and provides better protection in colder climates.
Training involves removing growth tips and using thinning cuts to encourage side branching and size control, preventing a tall, single-trunked tree. Conversely, a gardener can prune the fig to a single leader and stake it to create a classic tree shape with a defined trunk and canopy. The final appearance, whether as a spreading bush or a compact tree, is a direct result of the grower’s pruning goals.