Hi everyone.  We bought this fig at a local nursery (North Georgia) about 10 years ago.  It was labeled "Celeste" but it obviously isn't a Celeste, and we knew that when it had its first fruit, we just didn't know what it really was, and still don't know for sure.

It has been, however, a very pleasant surprise.  Of the figs we have fruiting now, Hardy Chicago is everyone's favorite for flavor, but this fig is a very close second.  And it is far superior in earliness (there is a light breba crop and the first of the main crop is ripe by mid-July), great productivity, and vigorous growth.  It also roots very easy, and grows in-ground here (zone 7b) with little (first year or two) or no freeze back (once established).  Last year was our coldest winter in 20 years and no freeze back.

The flavor is sugar sweet and very juicy, the figs are large, and very productive.  There is no souring or spliting, and because of the green/yellow color the birds have never bothered it, so no netting is needed.

I have had a few people look at it, and the suggestions are Marseilles mostly, maybe Latte, maybe Italian Honey (which was my guess), but on closer look the leaves don't look right.  And the F4F info suggests there may be little or no real difference among these any way.

I would like to share cuttings with otherrs, but I would also like them to know what they are getting if possible, so your thoughs would be most welcomed.

Best wishes to all.

John
North Georgia Piedmont
Zone 7b

Your fig is a modern Hybrid,like the numbered specimen in the UCDAVIS collection.
I bet it has a closed eye.
I can see is healthy and resistant to deasese, just like 143-36 is.
143-36 is only an example but is you look on UCDavis site you will see they have a few dozen selected all with close eye and light red or amber interior so as to not color the fig paste mwich was the primary reason they developed the new hybrids.

Thank you for the information Herman.  I greatly value your expertise on these matters.

You are correct.  It does have a closed eye.  And I have never lost even one of these figs to souring or spliting.

It may not have a name, but it is a very good fig, one of our favorites.

Hope you are well my friend.

Best wishes to all.

John

Herman,

Where does it say on the UC Davis site about the eyes of the figs?

Thanks,

noss

John,
You might want to check out Conadria DFIC 050 on Jon's
varieties site. This is a Hybrid of Adriatic that appears. to
have several variations.
I have a young one that is just ripening now. Recieved it
as a cutting from UCD. It is an excellent fig here. Compact
potted tree, large fruit, very good tasting.

In this vain I also have Green German, Col de Dame,DFIC 74, white, and another unidentified from a neighbor that is similar to Conadria in size and good taste but it has a long neck so I know this one is not your's.

Maybe these suggestions will help.

Peg  

Thank you Peg.  These are very interesting and I look forward to checking these out.  I am learning a lot in the process.

If the one you have ripening now is anything like this one, you will really enjoy it.

Thanks for the input Peg, and hope you are having a great summer.

Best wishes.

John
North Georgia Piedmont
Zone 7b

Noss:All Hybrids allowed to be perpetated by UC Davis,have a tight almost closed eye.
That is one quality the reaserchers,working on the program,kept or discarded the hybrids ,based upon beside light interior color,andresistance to spoilage,shelf life etc.
So no small eye ,no selection.

Noss:All Hybrids allowed to be perpetated by UC Davis,have a tight almost closed eye.
That is one quality the reaserchers,working on the program,kept or discarded the hybrids ,based upon beside light interior color,andresistance to spoilage,shelf life etc.
So no small eye ,no selection.

That's interesting, Herman.  Thanks for that info.  I've read that disease is spread by bugs getting into the open eyes of the figs causing spoilage, so it makes sense if the figs with the tight eyes would be chosen.

Noss,

I do not think there is eye information on the figs but I certainly take Herman's word for it.

Meanwhile, you can find photographs of the numbered version on Jon's variety pages (Click on the '#' symbol after the letter 'Z'. There are also nice photographs of the UCR numbered cultivars on the Hawaii Fruit site. The Hawaii site also as well as nice table of subjective taste information.

JD

Noss click this link .
http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?16801

Then on that page click the word "list" the first List in a square box.
On that page click on 1 of 152 fig types and scroll down and click - "Observations"
There you have the descriptors "fig eye" is one of them.

Hope this helps.

Martin,

This is great. Thanks for sharing it. After I clicked >> list << it took me to ths URL which aligns well with what I was hoping to see: http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/tax_acc.pl. Thanks.

I was that DFIC 344 Cole de Dame Noir is listed in the group but not available...

JD

Thanks, JD & Martin.  :)

noss

It's November 18th and I just picked a ripe fig from the Georgia Yellow Unknown.

It has a light breba crop in the Spring.  The brebas are very large, and good tasting, but there aren't very many brebas.  Most of them drop before ripening.

The main crop is very heavy, and mostly ripens over just a few weeks from mid-July to early August (these have excellent fresh eating quality, but having large amounts all at once is ideal for making fig preserves and drying).

But it set a very small number of late figs as well.  I really thought they would do anything,  but much to my surprise, we just picked a ripe one.  It was smaller, more tart, and redder on the inside than the main crop, and not near the excellent quality of the main crop, but hey, not bad for later November.

Best wishes to all.

John
North Georgia Piedmont
Zone 7b

The brebas on this White Hybrid are growing rapidly, up to the size of a quarter across already.

Hi John:Your fig is definitely a selected hybrid, but coming from California U,is unlikely,because all the selections I grew for them without exception,are late,ripening here in NJ.
Yours is early ripening by your results,so I think,is  a selection of LSU,maybe even Georgia Agricultural station,and also possible from the Italian reaserch station,just like Atreano is.

Hi Herman.  I greatly appreciate your expertise on this.  I have been trying to identify this unknown white for quite some time, and you have without question been the most helpful with this.

I'm am just guessing, but one good possibility is that it is from the University of Georgia Agricultural Station.  We live very close to there, the students sell plants from there to raise money for their Agricultural Club, and this fig is a very strong, aggressive grower.  It could have been in a test bed near the Celestes they were growing for sale (they sell these twice a year) and the test plant ran into the Celeste bed.  It does this here too (spreading underground into the neighboring bed).  Not invasive, but very aggressive for a fig.

I got it from a small family nursery here, they could have got it from the UGA plant sale (mislabeled), and I bought it because looking down the line of figs they had for sale, this one looked like the healthiest and strongest grower without question, so I choose this one and planted it 10 years ago.

It has been a great fig.  Early (main crop hits by mid-July; brebas look like they will be ripe in several weeks), cold-hardy, no splitting ever, large, and highly productive.  Not quite as tasty as Hardy Chicago (to my taste at least), but still excellent, very sweet and juicy.  Definately one of our favorites.

Hope you are well my friend.

Best wishes to all.

John

http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/close.pl?192020+C

http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/close.pl?192036+C

John, 

Hi Andre.  Glad to hear that it is doing well, and I hope it will grow as well for you as it has for us here.

Very best wishes.

John