The question of whether a fig tree needs a partner to produce fruit is a common one that highlights the unusual biology of Ficus carica, the common fig. The short answer is that whether you need one tree or two depends entirely on the specific variety you are growing. Unlike most familiar fruit trees that rely on bees or wind for open-air pollination, the fig has evolved a specialized, enclosed reproductive system that determines its fruiting requirements.
The Reproductive Secret of the Fig
What we commonly call a fig fruit is botanically not a true fruit but a complex, inverted flower structure known as a syconium. This fleshy vessel is lined on the inside with hundreds of tiny, unisexual flowers, and it opens to the outside only through a small pore called the ostiole. Because the flowers are contained within this structure, traditional pollination methods cannot reach them.
The fig tree has developed an obligate mutualistic relationship with a tiny, specialized insect, the fig wasp (Blastophaga psenes), to facilitate pollination in the wild. The female wasp enters the syconium through the ostiole, depositing pollen brought from another fig onto the female flowers, thereby enabling seed development. This unique life cycle creates different categories of fig trees based on their ability to bypass this natural requirement.
The Self-Fruiting Fig (Common Varieties)
For the majority of home gardeners, the fig tree is a self-fruiting variety that does not require a partner tree or the presence of the fig wasp. These are classified as “Common Figs” and are popular because they develop edible fruit without fertilization. This process is known as parthenocarpy, where the fruit develops from the unfertilized female flowers.
These common fig varieties are all functionally female and can produce a crop of figs even when grown in isolation. Parthenocarpy allows the fig to mature and swell into a consumable form without producing viable seeds. The small, crunchy “seeds” found inside these figs are actually unfertilized ovules, or drupelets, that never developed.
If you are growing widely available cultivars like ‘Brown Turkey,’ ‘Celeste,’ ‘Chicago Hardy,’ or ‘Mission,’ you only need one tree to ensure a successful harvest. These parthenocarpic figs are the easiest to grow in regions outside the Mediterranean, such as cooler climates where the specialized fig wasp cannot survive.
Why Some Figs Require a Partner (The Smyrna System)
The original fig system requires two different types of trees for fruit production, which is a requirement for certain commercially prized varieties. These figs are known as Smyrna-type figs, and they are entirely dependent on pollination for their fruit to mature; otherwise, the unripe figs will drop from the branches.
The necessary partner is a separate, male tree called the Caprifig, which is home to the fig wasp. Caprifigs produce inedible fruit that contains both male flowers and specialized short-styled female flowers, which are perfect for the wasp to lay its eggs and complete its life cycle. The Smyrna-type fig, on the other hand, possesses only long-styled female flowers, which physically prevent the female wasp from laying eggs but allow for pollination.
The process of transferring pollen from the male Caprifig to the female Smyrna fig is called caprification. Commercial growers must actively manage this process by hanging male Caprifigs infested with emerging wasps onto the branches of the female trees. The female wasp, covered in pollen from the Caprifig, enters the Smyrna fig, pollinates the flowers while attempting to lay eggs, and then dies. This allows the fruit to develop into the succulent, seed-filled fig desired by consumers.