The common fig, Ficus carica, is a popular fruit tree, but identifying its specific variety can be challenging due to hundreds of named cultivars sharing the same species name. Identifying your particular tree requires a careful, systematic approach that combines environmental clues with a close examination of physical features. This process helps narrow the possibilities from the vast array of available fig types.
Where to Begin the Identification Process
The initial clues for identification come from the tree’s environment and growth habits. Geographic location is a telling factor, as many fig varieties are regionally specific and their survival is linked to cold tolerance. For example, a fig tree thriving unprotected in a colder climate, such as Zone 6, suggests high cold hardiness, immediately reducing the number of potential cultivars.
Observe the tree’s structure to determine if it grows as a multi-stemmed bush or a single-trunked tree, noting that this can vary by cultivar and pruning practice. Also note if the tree is planted in the ground or restricted to a container, as container-grown figs may belong to naturally dwarf varieties. Finally, examine the fruiting pattern: some figs produce an early crop on the previous year’s wood (the breba crop) followed by a main crop, while others produce only the main crop.
Distinctive Visual Markers of Figs
After establishing the tree’s context, the next step involves a detailed physical inspection of its foliage and fruit. Fig leaves are large and palmate, but the number and depth of their lobes are highly variable across cultivars. Some leaves may have only three shallow lobes, while others display five or seven deep cuts, or sinuses.
Leaf texture is also important, ranging from smooth and waxy to noticeably fuzzy or rough. Since leaf characteristics can change as the tree matures, observe leaves from different parts of the tree for a complete picture. The fruit’s external color when fully ripe offers a major clue.
Fig fruit colors span a wide spectrum, including light green, yellow, bronze, purplish-brown, and nearly black. The size and shape also differ, from small, round fruit to large, elongated, pear-shaped figs. Slice a ripe fig open to examine the color of the interior pulp, which can be transparent amber, pink, deep red, or dark purple.
Characteristics of Popular Edible Varieties
Comparing your observations to the known traits of widely planted varieties aids identification. The ‘Brown Turkey’ fig, for example, produces medium to large fruit with coppery-brown to purplish skin and a sweet, strawberry-pink interior pulp. This tree adapts well to various climates and is generally hardy down to USDA Zone 7.
The ‘Celeste’ fig, sometimes called the “Sugar Fig,” is known for its intensely sweet flavor and typically remains smaller than ‘Brown Turkey’. It produces medium-sized, violet-brown fruit with a dense, rose-colored flesh. The ‘Chicago Hardy’ fig is frequently encountered in colder regions, recognized for its exceptional resilience, surviving temperatures near 0°F when established.
The ‘Chicago Hardy’ produces small to medium-sized figs with a dark purple or black exterior and a rich, dark red pulp that offers an earthy sweetness. The ‘Black Mission’ fig is a historically significant variety, yielding large, purplish-black fruit with a deep strawberry-red interior. This variety produces both a small breba crop and a plentiful main crop, and is most commonly found in the warmer, drier climates of the Western United States.