Every so often observations come up about the smells of figs. Coconut and cinnamon and cat pee as well. I know that around February my cats often get scowled at because the way the house smells when I come home from work but it is not their furry fault but the boxes of cuttings in the living room. Collectively they have a distinctive musky smell and some smell like apricots. And coconut. Any observations as to smells and variety, season, new growth vs. mature, green or dark fruit, etc.?

VdB smells like Cat pee!

Suzi

I recently pruned some some semi-green, small branches for rooting.  I stripped away all older leaves, leaving only the smaller, top few leaves on each branch, letting the older leaves drop down into the grass.  The next day, I smelled coconut suntan lotion, and I though my neighbor was taking some sun, but I realized that the wilted wig leaves laying on the grass were the source for this fragrant scent.  Nicer than cat-wiz.

Frank

Ronde de Bordeaux has always had a coconut aspect to its smell to my nose anyway.

The one I have cutting of did smell of cat-urine when collected. 

The odd thing is this is the only cutting I have that is creating a grey compound in the rooting water. All the others have kept the containers water clear. While the smell has reduced in strength, this is making wonder about them. Started about 5 days ago. 

I have two VdB's.  One is 4 years old, the other 3.  Many 1 gallon figs resting in their shade, but they do have that cat pee smell.

On the other hand, when you open your order from UCDavis, it smells like heaven!!

Suzi

Suzi, tell UCDavis they need to make candles of heaven :)

Ha!  Who needs a candle when you get that package in March?

Suzi

Suzi, is it my imagination or does your wish list keep growing? ;) I'm looking forward to my first UCDavis box but not the unavoidable culling afterwards.
I started this thread because there was (ah, progress!) a Celeste on my foraging route that had the most remarkable peach fragrance. I did manage to get several cuttings before it went down. 

The only smell I have detected is that musky cat pee smell. I have a pretty sensitive sniffer too. Coconuts, cinmmon and peach sound so much nicer that cat pee, but those odors are not coming from my fig trees. 

Barry, poor you! The smells perceived are also the differences in our noses. Some people think boxwood smells like lemons but that one is dog pee to me.

So my nose is geared to cat pee huh, lol I don't know maybe I only grow cat pee figs and not those fancy peachy and cinnamon ones. Actually I am usually the first one to sniff whatever comes wafting in the air, good or bad. Boxwood is ok by me. 

Alexis, 

You are correct!  My wish list does keep growing, but I do take some out also because a forum member has sent or reserved for me that particular fig, or I learned it won't work for us.  A wish list is a living breathing thing.  It changes. ;-))

Not sure why the first whiff when opening my UC Davis box has always been heavenly, but that's the only way I can describe it!  I don't just order figs  though.  Might be the olives because they are so leafy and green, or the pomegranates.  I'm not sure if it's the wine grape cuttings or the figs.  They are basically sticks!!

Sniffing a living VdB, it's hard to understand how that smelly tree can produce such fabulous figs!!

I love to cook, and do stuff my vineyard grape leaves with delicious ground meat and ham and herbs (dolmadas).  Would love to wrap soaked fig leaves around fish on the BBQ.  I would NOT use VdB!!  Shudder....

Suzi

Something Pavlovian surely. After the thousands of years we have been eating figs, olives and pomegranates their romance is intrinsic now.
I went out fig sniffing (itchy face now and need a nose sorbet) and the Mt. Etna types do all smell cat pee-ish. The sweetest one was the Galbun.

I don't know what you guys are smelling but when I walk out it smells like a tropical floral bouquet.  I walk up to the leaves and sniff intensely.

I guess cat pee is my thing. 

Don't have a cat. Don't want a cat. Don't need a cat. I have another trouble stopping my dogs from fertilizing my in-ground trees.

My mother swears my nose is messed up. 

When smelling the cuttings I smell fruit....
When she smells the cuttings she smells male cat urine.

I wish she could smell them like I do :(
 

PTC Paper is used to determine if people have a genetic marker to taste bitter compounds in foods (someone told me it is why some kids are more averse to eating veggies [see supertasters]).  Perhaps we need a similar product to help detect how we perceive the smell of fig trees.  I am a pee smeller... but the smell of urine reminds me of figs, so I suppose I've conditioned myself to like the smell.  Sometimes I find myself drawn to it.

~james

The F. carica leaves definitely produce a distinctive tom-cat-pee smell; specially
when in an enclosed area; e.g., a car (transport) or inside the home (growing).

Landscapewitch, I've always thought that Celeste trees smelled faintly sweet & musky.  Others in my yard do smell like cat pee though to me.

James, if they could come up with a smell to keep animals(birds in particular) from eating the figs, then we'd be home free. Where I live is like bird hell.

I recently gave a fig to a friend, whose spouse, upon receipt,  queried whether I had a cat. Guess it really does smell like that.