The fig is botanically unique. The structure we consume is not a true fruit but a specialized, inverted flower cluster called a syconium—a fleshy, hollow receptacle lined with hundreds of tiny flowers. This edible body has been cultivated for over 7,000 years in the Mediterranean region.
The Ficus Genus Scope
The number of fig kinds is defined by the genus Ficus L. Scientists estimate there are between 750 and 900 recognized species of Ficus worldwide, with about 850 species commonly cited. This immense collection belongs to the mulberry family (Moraceae) and is distributed globally across tropical and subtropical regions.
These species include not only the familiar fruit-bearing tree but also shrubs, woody vines, and epiphytes. The genus is predominantly pantropical, with the highest concentration of diversity found in Southeast Asia. The common fig, Ficus carica, is the only notable exception, being native to the temperate zones of western Asia and the Mediterranean.
Major Biological Groupings
The diversity of fig species is categorized by their different growth habits. One prominent category is the strangler fig, which begins life epiphytically, germinating high on a host tree. It sends down aerial roots that eventually encircle and fuse with the host’s trunk, often killing the supporting tree over decades.
Another distinct group is the banyan fig, exemplified by species like Ficus benghalensis. Banyan figs develop massive crowns supported by dozens of adventitious aerial prop roots that descend from the branches. These roots create a vast, single-plant structure by rooting into the soil. The majority of the remaining species are non-strangling trees, shrubs, or climbers. These growth forms are either monoecious or gynodioecious, classifications related to their internal flower arrangements.
The Importance of the Fig Wasp
The vast number of fig species is closely linked to a specialized mutualistic relationship: the fig and the fig wasp. This obligate symbiosis with pollinating wasps (family Agaonidae) is the primary engine driving the speciation of the Ficus genus. Each fig species is typically pollinated by only one or two specific wasp species, leading to co-evolutionary diversification.
The wasp’s life cycle is confined entirely within the syconium, which the female enters through a tiny opening called the ostiole. Inside, she pollinates the long-styled flowers while laying eggs in the short-styled flowers, which develop into galls that nourish the larvae. Wingless male wasps emerge first, mate with the females, and then chew an escape tunnel for the newly emerged, pollen-laden female wasps.
Commercially Cultivated Varieties
While the Ficus genus contains hundreds of species, nearly all figs consumed commercially are derived from a single species, Ficus carica. Cultivars of this common fig are categorized into four types based on their specific pollination requirements.
The most globally important are the Common figs, which are parthenocarpic, meaning they set fruit without pollination or seed development, making them easy to grow in any climate. The Smyrna fig varieties require pollination by the fig wasp Blastophaga psenes to develop their main, seeded crop. The San Pedro fig is an intermediate type, producing an early, unpollinated crop known as “brebas” and a later second crop that requires wasp pollination to mature. The fourth type, the Caprifig, is inedible but functionally masculine, as it produces the pollen and houses the fig wasp necessary to pollinate the Smyrna and San Pedro types.