Leaves certainly resemble noire de carombe. Definately not a petite negri leaf, and yes Noire de Carombe does get red tips.

Susan, the duct tape is at the end of the snippet of water hose only. The base of the trunk is surrounded by sweet potato leaves. Does your tree look like the one above?  Are your leaves similar? Pm me re cuttings., if you don't mind

JD, I'll try and post pictures of individual leaves over the weekend, perhaps veteran owners of  Noire de Carombe can help identify it as such.

Frank

A few more pictures  including the dominant leaf type and a close-up of fleshy parts.

This GW thread might help explain what may be going on:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fig/msg1008532931790.html

"I looked up this fig on the internet. In this book, 
THE FRUIT MANUAL a guide to THE FRUITS AND FRUIT TREES OF GREAT BRITAIN; (Hogg) I found the following:

BORDEAUX: Aubignon, Aubique Noir, Aubique Violette, Figue Poir, Petite Aubique, Violette, Violette Longue, Violette de Bordeaux, Nagronne (sic)
Fruit: Large, Long, Pyriform, marked with Ribs. Very much flattened laterally and one side of the apex hanging down more than the other. Skin quite black covered with a fine blue bloom and when dead ripe cracked with white longitudinal lines. Stalk very short, eye open, flesh pale coppery colored, very tender and juicy, sugary and sweet. Excellent:"

My second season crop fits this description completely.

From another thread, our own Jon weighs in re Petite Negri:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fig/msg0606184416481.html

"{Petit Negri] Could actually be one of several different varieties, as well: Violette de Bordeaux, Negronne, etc. There seem to be varying reports on its growth and fruiting that are not consistent."

The early season crop on my tree was a lot smaller and uniform in shape:

One more quote:

"There are two types of Aubique fig cultivars. One is the larger fig known as "Aubique" (AKA Abicou) which fits Hogg's description above. The other is a smaller fig known as "PETITE Aubique" (means Little Aubique). Petitie Aubique is the same or very similar to the cultivars Negronne, VdB, and Beer's Black." 

Perhaps Petite Negri  is a Bordeaux variant behaving differently depending on first/second crop, location, zone etc. etc etc.

Whatever the answer, I am glad it it is part of my collection.

Frank