Check out these ancient fig trees in Vietnam.

http://www.lookatvietnam.com/2011/07/five-600-years-old-fig-trees-in-nghe-an.html

That's probably a ficus binjamina, not the edible fig.

Do ficus benjamina have edible fruits?   Apparently these do, but you're right, they don't look like any fig trees I've seen. 

Hungryjack, when I started a thread last month about giant Ficus carica trees (largest in California has a trunk diameter of 48"), I saw some fig listings in China but none of them appeared to be Ficus carica.  Do you know what species the 500+ year old fig tree in China is?  The largest near me has a trunk averaging 40" in diameter and limbs 10-12' high up are about 2' in diameter.

Harvey,

  I did not see your thread about the Giant Fig trees, sorry.

The tree I speak of in China is Ficus Carica for sure,
what variety, not sure.
Below is a picture of the fruit.

Trunk diameter is around 10 feet from what I was told,
maybe larger.  Tree is about 15-20 feet high,
but covers and area of about 1 acre.

This area of China is known for its  various fruits
like Figs, grapes, melons, dates, etc,

The tree although not too far from a small city in China,
is in a remote area not convenient to get to,
and has had some terrorist activity in very recent times
due to its proximity to the Afghan and Pakistan border.
This is an Islamic area of China and 99+% of the population there is Muslim.

Time and weather permitting on my trip to China later this week,
I will try and get to this tree for a visit
and maybe a couple of souvenirs ;-) from the tree.
Tree is several thousand miles away from where I will be in Beijing,
so I need a couple of spare days to make the trip,
hopefully weather allows the journey.

i shouldn't have looked at that yellow figs. i need a fix.

I think the ancient large fig trees in Vietnam are  Ficus auriculata, at least the ones in that article

Very cool trees!!! The form that they produce is incredibly cool looking and a great reason most ficus species are such a good subject for bonsai. Due to the location I think the species is either bengalensis or heteropoda. From what I've read most fig trees fruit is edible, maybe not very palatable, but is generally just eaten by locals or animals. 

Thanks, Hugryjack.  The thread I had started is at http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/Giant-Fig-Trees-6118440

What is the climate like in that area of China? Temperate?  It sounds like a tree that sends down aerial roots to cover such a wide area, photos would be appreciated.  Hard to imagine the appearance.

Harvey,

 Thanks for the link,
post #2 is the tree in China I am talking about.

 I believe the tree is supported from underneath with
wood poles/logs,  not aerial roots.
Tree is definitely carica.

While definitely not an unknown cultivar,
as similar figs are grown in the region,
its location along the old silk road helped in its distribution.

Amazing , nature is just wondrously amazing , that something lives and produces fruit for hundreds of years .