"Neck of the lady" I only have the white (blanc) from UC Davis. One is just now producing figs. They seem to have a distinctive thicker than normal neck when green--which becomes a very graceful curve when ripening. Has anyone else noticed this? Is this the origin of the name? Very burgundy flesh. Nice looking fig, but taste not up to par, yet.

Mine are just beginning to ripen now.  Definitely looks like the picture posted. Any comment on the taste, Jon?

Dan,
i know down by you its been rain rain rain as i watch the weather all the time on TV, better than the news to me with all the craziness going on in the world, i enjoy the sports portion as well. Can you send a little rain this way an all day lite drizzle as its been bone dry for the whole month. I just grow the dark types only but its good to know that some folks that live in sometimes rainy areas can have a fig that does good in the rain.
Thanks for sharing pictures even if there light color figs .

For the sake of completeness (maybe MORE confusion), apart
from the (white) UCD avail. one, there are (at least)
two more other variants; the Grise (brown) and the Noir (black) ones...

In Spain, country of many excellent figs, "Coll de Dama" (its original name, it is a Catalan fig), it is commonly considered as the best tasting fig (I know that it is a personal and subjective matter). Practically, all the dried figs produced in spain are of this variety.

The white variant is the most used for dried figs, however many experts say that the black variant is a bit sweeter and better tasting than the other variants.

I have the black variant but the plants are still young and, moreover, my climate is not the best for it. Coll de Dama is a very late fig and in my rainy climate it is a problem, but I know that from time to time it can ripen here if the summer and autumn are a bit warm.

Fortunately I can taste the black variant in grocery stores at late September and I confirm what Dan says, it has a very sweet and fruit taste fig (maybe like strawberry jam). In my humble opinion, it is by far one of the best tasting figs.

Anyway, I haven't tasted hundred of figs, as far as I remember, only the following:

- Negronne
- Longue d'Aout
- Ronde de Bordeaux
- LSU Gold
- Marseillaise
- Hardy chicago
- Marseilles VS
- Grise de St. Jean
- Madeleine dex Deux Saisons
- Dauphine
- Gentile
- and a lot of local unknown varieties.

I hope to taste for first time (in few days or weeks) the following:

- Noire de caromb
- Negra d'Adge
- Bellone
- Figue de Marseille (that sold by P. Baud)
- Bourjassotte black
- my Coll de Dama Black ¿? it depends on the weather

and the winner is grocery's Coll de Dama black!

Axier,
would like to hear your thoughts on how those types listed tasted for you some day. 
I hear how they taste here in the states but not often from other countries.

I also want to point out,what Dan has stated,that Col de Dame white is absolutelly the most rain resistant fig I have seen.
It was ripenning for me 4 yrs ago,during rain,intact,and it was gettin ripe last year in November during rain too,and it never splitted or soured.
Last year the fruits were not very sweet because it was very cold when it was getting ripe,in November,but is not the cultivar fault ,it is my climate lack of heat.
Yet for the Deep south,I see no other fig as good as Col de Dame Wht ,to have.

H2

Axier,

I am so glad to hear that Col de Dame is rain tolerant, because it has been  raining all week. Hopefully this last fig will ripen even in the rain.

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa93/Scott_GA/coldedame.jpg

Thank you Axier for the response.

Thanks guys for the exciting info. Now, I got to find the rest of Col de Dame variants. Got the white but no Grise & Noir yet. Thus, any kind fig friends have any spare cuttings this season to spare. I can be reached via Figs4Fun email & will reciprocate costs.. Thanks.

Axier -- have you sample Brog Bianco ? I heard much about it & if you did, how would it stand against some of the variants mentioned. Thanks.

Paully, please email me. I might be able to help you out.

I Also would like to point out that politics play a role also in Identifing the most superior figs.
So In doing so I would point out that all Reaserch was done in all places ,to find ,or hybridize,figs that are wanted by the food industry.
That goal,complettelly eliminated,all figs with red,or dark red interior.
It doesn't Matter how superior,in taste they were,or how rain resistent.
In a commercial fig orchard,the first large fruits are collected and sold as fresh fruits,the medium ones are dried,and the smaller ones wich are in large quantities,at the end of season,are supposed to be turned in Fig Paste for Cookies.
Well red paste is not an acceptable color,for it.
So all Col de Dame,are deep,dark red,and so not acceptable for comercial growing.
That is Why the best tasting cultivars,are,not known.
All the reaserch,to date yelded,only marginally tasty hybrids,and a lot of Money was spent in doing so,while the top tasting cultivars were,allready known!!.
Paul:I would like to say,that Col de Dame Might not have enough heat to get ripe in your climate,like is Happening in mine.
So I am not pointing you to buy it,because for me it positivelly doesn't work in NJ.

H2

This sounds like a good variant to try here in Zn9. Was getting an order together from UC Davis, but am undecided, because of the conroversy over the viability of these cuttings. I may just look out for some here this fall/winter. Always glad to pay my way! Tim

Thanks Herman. I plan to keep it in the greenhouse till end Nov & switch off heating. I hope the gas heater & the extra $$$ spend on heating  in getting some ripe figs translate into a rounder waistline. Also during that time of the year I am busy going to the river to have pow-wows with the salmon, so I don't get to see the wife as often & hopefully the extra figs helps me to stay out of trouble. She loves fresh figs. She just had a bowl of lattarula & warned my son that he better have some before its all gone.

Paully, I haven't sampled Brog Bianco, I only know about this fig what I have read out there.

Dan:I think that would be Nice to have an Improved Col de Dame that gets ripe faster,with less heat.
Another point I want to say,is that I do not know if Col De Dame Gray,and black,is just as rain tolerant as white,because They never fruited for me,but it would be nice to be the same.
The literature say,that they are the same fig,only the color is different.
Also,i,herd that the Black get ripe with less heat than white,and the gray,is the most tasty of them all.
We will see I do have 2 young trees,of those colors,and will keep them in the Garage over winter to give them a bust,in starting early next Spring.
H2

Herman, taking into account that Coll de Dama is one of the best tasting figs (together with Negronne, by far, the best I have tasted), I have the same wish as you, I would like a Coll de Dama that ripens earlier and with less sun.

I have a Coll de Dama negra in ground for 2 years and, since the past year, another in pot. I have never gotten a ripened Coll de Dama in my plants.

Early November is the limit in my climate for figs and, until now, Coll de Dama is not ripened in that date.

Well, I have another Coll de Dama grafted on one of my old inground fig trees, a semi-dwarf variety. I have observed that some grafted varieties ripen a bit earlier in this tree. I don't know why, maybe it is only because they take more sun in that location. But there is another possibility, that tree could acts like a rootstock that accelerate ripening.

It is not a fantasy, it occurs in grapes, some rootstock promote early ripening. But there is no information regarding this subject in figs, grafting is unusual with figs.

The Coll de Dama grafted branch is currently small and it only has two figs growing but they seem to be more developed than in the mother plants.

It is very soon to conclude anything about this, but it could be a hope to an earlier Coll de Dama.

I have airlayered and grafted a branch of this rootstock with Coll de Dama. I will plant it the next year an I will observe how it performs in the next seasons. I will know then if it is an interesting thing or it is really an illusion.

I have one ( Blanche ) I rooted from a cutting last year.
It's no more than 10" tall as of yet. Seems to be a slow grower. Anyone else agrees?

Rafed, the Col de Dame Blanc you shared with me has really started to grow now. I mixed up a well draining potting mix to which I added a small amount of composted chicken manure. Everything I have planted in this mix greened up almost overnight and immediately took off growing. Caution that the run off from watering will stain the patio, but a little bleach took care of it. One fig friend cautioned that the manure may change the taste of the figs, but I'm really concentrating on growth now and these will eventually go in the ground.

Rafed, Coll de Dama is a vigorous grower.
Sometimes, the cuttings in the first year grow slowly. Probably, the next year will grow more vigorous.