My recollection is that when I started Ischia Black cuttings in 2010 I had one survive from Encanto Farms and one survive from UCD.  Here are the pictures of those young plants.  In 2011 I don't know what I did but one of the trees grew to six feet and I had my first IB figs that summer.  The flavor was so intense at the eye it was a thick raspberry preserve flavor to me.  Last year the tree did nothing and I had only a couple of figs.  I took some air layers from both for insurance.  Although one grew fast the branches were thin and one broke off from birds sitting on it.  This year they had a lot of figs and put on new growth.  I'll take more pictures of the leaves and remaining figs.  I did lose track of which one was the UCD tree but I've been told the one that looks more infected by FMV is the UCD one.  The eyes are red when the fig is still green.

Gina, my point was that if you get a mis-labeled fig and it is a VdB, that is a whole lot better than getting one that is a BT, or some other lesser fig. I agree, getting the wrong thing is never a good thing.

My Vista Black Mission is apparently a mis-labeled VdB and I would not trade it for the world.

Gina, I can only guess that Dick thought he'd use a name more people were familiar with.  He doesn't charge enough to really be after financial gains.  I didn't question him about the accuracy of his cuttings but, instead, to let him know that what I sent him probably wasn't IB and he then told me that he had bought his as BP.  Rather than sell what I sold him, he said he'd just get rid of them.  I don't know if he's ever seen the inside of one of his BP figs since he said the squirrels and rats don't leave him a single fig to eat. Fortunately, he does get some very good feijoa left for him, he says.  After I do a couple of inspections, I'll report back to him.

any fig is a good fig... as long as it's no a BT. lol

Well I'm the owner now of the plant you brought to the fig fiesta.  Its good to have the full history on this.   Can you describe the taste of your Ischia Black?

Harvey, keep doing what you're doing.  And document those you talk to and take plenty of pictures.  The 2 BIs at UCD are in sad shape; notice I didn't say BAD shape.  And the same is true about Black Maderia, the trees at UCD are in sad shape but still produce super quality figs every year.  I'm just not sure how long these 2 trees will be there.  But UCD has plenty other fig trees that we have not seen yet.....maybe next year. 

So, for those of you who have true Black Ischia, give it your utmost attention and care.  It is one of the best black figs in the US.

Here is my Black Ischia fig started 2 years ago from a small UC Davis cutting.  This has been slow to size up, and has a strong case of FMV.

I visited Prusch today with posturedoc and checked out the figs.  I took a photo of the tree that there that is supposed to be Black Ischia and it seems clear that it is not.  There was no ripe fruit on the tree, unfortunately, though we did get a chance to taste many others.  It started raining when we we were only about a third of the ways done.  It let up and then it rained pretty hard, but we persisted.  We did it for the figs!

I want to bump up this thread.  I communicated with someone who had what they thought was Ischia Black but I let them know it didn't look right to me, especially with the absence of reddish petioles.  He told me that his plant was obtained from Edible Landscaping.  I didn't find it listed on their site (nor on archived versions of their fig page) so I emailed them to ask them about it and their source.

After a few days of waiting I've received a reply, but am not quite too sure what to make from it.  Still, I thought I would share so others can figure it out for themselves.  Here is the reply:

I wouldn't be surprised.  However:

1)  It's a lot more likely that PN is on the spectrum between VdB and Violette Soleis/Noire de Barbentaine.  The biggest brebas can strongly resemble VS.  The leaves can resemble some strains of VdS, but not the main type.

2)  It sounds like PN is more acid than IB, and this has never had honey, or intense sweet jam at the end of the fruit.  If one manages to get fully ripe PN at the end of a sunny week, it will be pretty sweet, but not quite a sugar bomb.  Flavor is intense, and sounds more complex in taste than descriptions of VdB.  The primary feature that makes it really good is that it can be enjoyed fairly unripe.  Heat is required for superior fruit, and is less tolerant than VdB of cooler weather (or dry weather).  

3)  The leaves of IB are far more rugose than that of PN, and PN has never had a tendency for red tips or stems.  Now, I think I've seen a VdB (delivering fruit of roughly the same qualities of my PN at the time--mostly rotting but same general flavor otherwise, too) at an old farm, and the leaves there are much more rugose than most pictures displayed or my trees.  If I may suggest, that tree is in full sunlight.  Perhaps you could get better long term growth by keeping IB in pretty heavy shade for five or so years?  PN does like some shade and is easily water distressed in full sun.

I've heard tell that recently, Mike McConkley is very agnostic about the distinction between PN, Negronne, VdB.

this post caught my eyes while having my evening tea.. anyway.. USDA/UCD IB is getting red tint on the bud and the leaf stem now. thing is that i don't see those on my trees unless the weather is just right. on Kathleen's Black, it comes on when the temp suddenly drops in late fall or in spring. i rarely see it on VdB. i didn't pay too much attention on IB, but since reading this port, i went out and took some pix. 

on below pix, you can see dark pink/red blush on the stem and the.. not sure what it's called "husk" of the terminal bud. 

 

on this one, you can see it on unopened bud/fig. 

 

on this one, you can see that our weather has been cool and the latest leaves coming out with FMV. 

 

come to think of it, i have Jason's Unk IB swelling bud. i'll take that pix on next smoke break. 

no pix on Jason's Unk IB. they broke bud and put on the leaves. not it looks green, and light is too low to show any blush. while the bud was swelling it has dark almost purple hue. 

Harvey,
Thanks for the bump and the EL info.

I purchased a 4" LSU Purple last year and received the pictured plant. It is not an LSU purple because I tasted 2 ripe figs from the pictured plant, and I have 2 other LSU purple cultivars. The 2 figs had a dark red interior and were extremely dense and rich in flavor. I thought that it may have been a Petite Negri EL. I have another older plant, but it did not ripen any figs last year, so I could not compare. They also had a completely different taste from the Violette de Bordeaux / Negronne EL.


<edit>
Pete,
I had a few blurry fig pictures, but can't locate them currently, they are in a separate file for "figs", and weren't tagged. I'll post them when I locate them.

pete,

any pix of the fig?

found it. Jason's Unk IB. i was looking at wrong tree yesterday. 

 

Pete, here are a couple of pics of my IB from UCS last year. Interesting that both cuttings were eat up with FMV but there is no
visible sign this spring.

mike,

mine started out great, then we had dip in the temp. since then most recent leaves are showing some problems. i'm thinking this strain of FMV doesn't like sudden temp change or something. few trees down is Black Madeira. i'm also seeming few leaves with FMv since the dip.

Here's an update of my "Black Ischia" (Black Provence) from Dick Watts.  Should get fruit this year to compare.  I notice that the petioles are red but leaf shape is different than Ischia Black.

 

Yeah, its a different leaf pattern from BI. That one you got Harvey is a keeper.

   

To me, this appear to be the same or very similar.  I just planted them in the ground last week and will monitor for progress.

here's one for sale on ebay. there's 2 photos of it. One is of a huge mother tree with lots of good leave photos.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/111657686958?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2648&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT