I am hoping someone has done the homework on this, so I won't have to. I am guessing the answere is somewhere in Condit.

There are three types of figs. common, san pedro and smyrna. When a common fig is caprified and produces viable seed, are all of the offspring common, or can some be one of the other two types? In other words, do you have to have a san pedro parent to get san pedro offspring? Do all smyrna figs have smyrna offspring? Would any seedling of Desert King, of necessity be a san pedro type?

Me too!
The best explanation that I had come across was that given
by Ray Givan of GA  (I actually do not fully understood it - it is a very, very
complex thing!). Not sure where, web-site (URL recently changed) and/or
his fig booklet.

Looking at my booklet right now, under BOTANY, there is a paragraph that
is about (them) mysterious fig-genes relating to Caducous (Smyrna),
Persistent (Common) , Intermediate(San Pedro) and (of course male) Caprifigs
(also complex)  - fig-tree off springs.

Speaking for myself,  I am not into breeding figs.
I only like the end result being in Common fig types.

Ray's new site:
http://www.raysfiginfo.com/

Sue

I found the information on this website to be helpful in understanding more about this matter.

http://waynesword.palomar.edu/pljun99b.htm

Ray Given is a forum member here if he has the time he would most likely be the best to answer that question for all here to comprehend.
Like Gorgi i dont fully understand, as it is also complicated for me as well.

I am short on time to make an attempt at a simplified presentation. The best explanations are found in these four sources that I can think of at the moment.

1) Ray Givan's 'The Fig Booklet'

2) 'The Fig' by William Storey, Julius Enderud, Wadie Saleeb and Edward Nauer - page 40 to 48 - one of the best explanations. This booklet is available from the CRFG and was published by the Jurupa Mountains Cultural Center

3) http://waynesword.palomar.edu/pljun99b.htm - A basic explanation is offered here, but some details are missing.

4) In the book 'Evolution of Crop Plants' edited by Simmonds - Page 59, 'Fig' by W.B. Storey.

I hope that this helps.
Ingevald

Re: Ray Givan site (thanks Sue, for the current URL) see:

The Weird Sex Life of the Fig
http://www.raysfiginfo.com/figsex.html

I have NO caprifigs here in NJ (no fig-wasps up-here-north-USA).

However, I did use a 'wild' CF for a San Pedro fig we had back
at my olde-home in (southern) EU. As a very young teenager, I used to just
string/hang some CF figs on its branches for its 2nd crop to be set.
At that time, it was a 1000%+  mystery to me, but something that
needed to be done. My big wonder/question was: what actually
happens to those 'ugly-little-bugs', once they do their job (caprification),
and how come there is no 'trace'  of them inside the after delicious ripe fruit.

(Jon, I think I did send you a little specimen off that same mother tree).

My surprise:
I used to think that there was just 'A' caprifig,
(aka., just a fig with the male-pollen).
There at least two kinds.
Caducous (Smyrna)
Persistent (Common)
(whatever that MEANS relating to them CFs???)

Also, there are at least a couple of caprifigs that are supposed
to be edible, which I am currently trying to root.
I wonder under which 'class' they fall in?!

Maybe (or not) related to this post, but should I even dare mention the word 'Croisic'?...

I think I understand the caprification "thing". The question is whether a caprified fig can produce offspring which are of a different type - or if they always have seedlings only of their type. I am trying to understand some of the seedlings which seem to behave as San Pedro types, but other than my Desert King, I don't know of any San Pedro types in my collection, so am doubtful that my seedlings came from a San Pedro parent (possible, but no very likely). Are caprifigs just "caprifigs" - or are they common caprifigs, san pedro caprifigs and smyrna caprifigs - or are they just caprifigs which can caprify any fig type? Aren't we glad sex isn't this complicated in people? ;-))

Yes, Gorgi, there are edible caprifigs are edible. See http://http://figs4fun.com/Thumbnail_A1_133.html  I am pretty sure, because of the cut photo that 0164.5 was the edible one in that group.. Which ever one it was, it was quite good. I definitely do not undertand how you get an edible caprifig or why all caprifigs do not produce an edible fruit.

Ain't figs fun?!!

This is a very interesting question. In http://figs4fun.com/Links/FigLink737.pdf , I found a paper on Fig Cultivar Development and Evaluation. You would have seen this already. I just wonder whether fig varieties Seqoia and Sierra came from this breeding programme.
Juliana

There are a lot of interesting links like that, but I haven't ponied up the $ for many of them.

When fig season settles down a bit, I want to pursue this question a little more, based on some of the things I have observed this season.

I never saw a definitive answer to this question, but I think I inadvertantly discovered the answer. See http://figs4fun.com/Info/USDA_Accession_KAC_11-30E.pdf  and  http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/acc/display.pl?1002792 Then scroll down to Pedigree.

My understanding is that the purpose and goal of Cond'ts breeding program was to develop a common fig with the taste and drying characteristics of the Calimyrna.

As I looked and the genetics of the crosses made that produced KAC-11-30E, The female in the cross was Calimyrna. So we can draw one of two conclusions: 1) that common figs are not the result of pollenating a Smyrna type fig, and Condit was clueless about that fact an wasted his time using Calimyrna as a parent, or 2) that common figs can be the product of a Smyrna type fig, and Condit did know that, even if it is not clearly stated anywhere.  I have to believe that 2) is the right answer. I'll have to look at more of the pedigrees to see if this is consistent. KAC-11-30E is a caprifig, but K-7-11 is most likely common as it fruits here without any evidence of Syrna behaviour.