Hi all,

I was thinking this morning about the variety of Red Delicious apple sports/mutants that have occurred in the past 120 years (I studied tree fruits in college), for a brief rundown look here: Red Delicious (Wikipedia).  Many sport cultivars have been selected on the basis of earlier bearing (often weeks), better coloration, or better "apple shape"; nearly 50 have been patented and many more are propagated without being patented or were discarded for being inferior. If you ever find the original Red Delicious apple, called Hawkeye, it's actually pretty good and tastes like an apple, unlike the modern Red Delicious which is like cheap cardboard.

It is not a perfect analog, but this could help explain why we have so many fig varieties that seem similar but might ripen differently, have slightly different color skins or centers, or different leaf shapes. I would hypothesize that the rapid growth and frequent dieback of figs would lead to many potential sports occurring on plants that may have once upon a time, in the old country, all been the same. It could go a ways to explaining why there are so many Mt Etna type figs, for example, that seem to be the same in every aspect but ripen 2 weeks apart under identical circumstances. Or why some wind up with 3 plants that should be the same variety, but have different leaf shapes.

Then we wind up with the problems of IDing the figs...what becomes the real variety and what becomes the sport?

Any thoughts?

Another analogy is with Pinot Noir grapes.  Last I heard there were some 197 clones and growing.  Many of these clones are intentional breed but some of them are because pinot noir is genetically unstable and even on the same vine you can get a shoot that is and looks different.
Does anyone know if Figs are genetically unstable in this sense.

Also someone showed me a fig tree that the mother plant is a dark fig and a cutting from it resulted in a green fig so maybe figs may sometimes be unstable genetically?.  

Kelby,
There are analogs to the Red Delicious Apple in the fig world, Brown Turkey is one., it has many similar cultivars in circulation and at least one possible patented cultivar, Bayernfeige Violetta. In the Southern US it is sometimes called Texas Everbearing and in the Northern US it is sometimes called English Brown Turkey.

Another reason for a single variety having different growth characteristics and figs is more about profits than mutation, as in the practice of assigning synonyms. Similar looking cultivars are renamed and sold for profit, creating confusion where none really should exist. The improved Celeste / O'Rourke controversy is one that is easy to see, shouldn't exist, but does, because several "vendors" and growers renamed the improved Celeste cultivars that they had in stock, after LSU officially released O'Rourke and called it their official Improved Celeste. IMO, Peter's honey, Dottato and kadota is another example, but there many more.

The documented evidence is that figs will readily mutate and acclimate to their environment. As can be easily seen by the varied leaf morphology and or figs that are produced at different times in the same season on the same tree. One of the most documented mutation is the Kadota, which was propagated from a branch (sport) of Dotatto. <Since any branch that's propagated could also be a mutation (sport) it would be simple to conclude that there are possibly hundreds of mutations of the same cultivar in circulation. Then adding FMV in the mix further increases the variables and possible mutations.>

Also in temperate regions where the fig wasp is present, seedlings are produced, some may be similar or better than the mother trees, but most may be inferior, these may also be put into circulation with the name of a similar looking cultivar, California mission fig trees is a good example. The only thing that we can do as hobbyists is to stay informed.

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Battagglia is a sport. It's growth pattern would not have been beneficial to its survival in the wild however the extraordinary flavor of its fruit that was discovered by people has lead to its propagation.

Hi Ampersand,
What makes one recognize an apple "Golden strain" ... Because everyone knows its supposed size and color, because it was described because well spread commercially.
The problem with figs is that they never were described because of growers not willing to spread the strains - mostly for production control and because
the figs were not developed commercially (fresh - not speaking of dried ones) because of their biggest weakness : Not being able to handle transportation and mid-term conservation properly.

All trees do mutate -just look at all known strains of cherries, apples, pears all mutations-, and that is why grafting to root-stock is used for propagation on most fruit trees - to avoid mutations .
Fig-trees are an exception to grafting because they are hardy on own roots and easy to root .
I would probably propagate my cherry-tree along with the fig-trees ... But it won't work - at least easily - but because it does with my fig-trees, I propagate those.
Cherries are expensive ! 7€/kg!... Apples are cheap, so I don't dare to plant an apple-tree in my garden. Well, ok, I have a seedling growing...
As to apples, lots of unknown strains got lost with the arising of the modern supply-chain - but at least there are some described strains - especially those commercially grown and present in the supply-chain.

Something I got deceived from, is that there were known and documented fig-trees in France - the ones of the King Louis XIV ... But if I did understand it well, they no longer exist ... What a shame !
But I'm surprised by the lack of literature on fig-trees especially from countries around the Mediterranean sea . But ok lets face it, poor people with most that did not know reading and writing... But still
those had kings and Chiefs ... Perhaps they did not like figs ! And they lacked digital cameras and www-forums ... So sad for them and us !

JDS, don't confuse seedling variability with bud mutation. My point here was that cuttings traced back to the same mother plant may vary in appearance and other traits. I believe this is more a problem because there isn't much in the way of commercial orchard in or propagation for figs. Many fig varieties were brought over by immigrants who may not have been too concerned with the name or it being true to any specific traits. Bud sports occur: 100 years and many propagations later you can't be sure if 2 plants are the same variety or not due to small mutations.

Hi guys!
I have a fig which produces small fruits but one branch produces huge fruits compared, it is not grafted and I have a topic posted here if it is mutated or got pollinated by any how...