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Is this a male or female fig?

This is an imature fig that fell from a tree and I was wondering if there is a way to tell if this is a male or female...





(On the left you can see larvas which I am guessing could be the fig wasps)

It does look like a male fig. specially if this is in Turkey.
however I have many figs that didnt ripen and fell off the tree since it's cold now, that look very similar to that.

Hard to tell at this stage, but I would lean toward female.

Compare http://figs4fun.com/Thumbnail_Caprifig_B.html  and some of the other caprifigs at http://figs4fun.com/

I know it is a hit or miss thing, but ... I was under the impression wasps really only stayed in figs that they pollinate, and that they only pollinated female figs? 

Of course, this information is remembered from a show I watched several weeks ago about fig wasps in south america, and how they pollinate gigantic fig trees along a known river (I believe, it might have been africa though!).


I also tried to scratch inside to see if some kind of pollen would come out.

There were some figs at more advanced stage of development but 10 feets is too high for me to reach.


satellitehead: you pointed out a good point but the wasp also ''interact'' with the male figs. I will try to find out more information on this...

Thanks!

bingo!

wikiepedia

In the female fig trees, the male flower parts fail to develop; they produce the "edible figs". Fig wasps grow in Common Fig caprifigs but not in the female syconiums because the female flower is too long for the wasp to successfully lay her eggs in them. Nonetheless, the wasp pollinates the flower with pollen from the caprifig it grew up in. When the wasp dies, it is broken down by enzymes inside the fig. Fig wasps are not known to transmit any diseases harmful to humans.

>>> (On the left you can see larvas which I am guessing could be the fig wasps)

I think what you are seeing is part of fruit (forgot what it is
called). If there is larvae, they will be inside, at least that is
where the eggs are laid. I also doubt very much that there
are any fig wasps that far up north. As far as I know fig
wasps are only found in parts of California (N. America).

I also tend to agree with Bass; they look like that (male)
because they are immature.

@George, I think Montreal_fig is visiting the mediterranean area at this time. 

@Montreal_fig, Does this mean I have it backwards, but I do have the correct idea? You would only find larvae in one sex but not the other?

I truly do not remember the show, but I swear, I am fig-nutty, so when I tuned to the show and saw fig trees as big around as some of the 120+ year old water oaks in my neighborhood (many feet in diameter!) I was instantly drawn in.

Let me see if I may find the show.  Anyone who loves figs should watch this show, it was amazing, especially in HD quality!

Gorgi, he's in Turkey....not Montreal right now.

Gorgi I am in Turkey at the moment not Canada

Also according to Wikipedia:

In temperate climes, wasps hibernate in figs,

there are snow precipitations in northern Turkey but it is nothing to compare against Canada (except for the mountainous regions)

Ooops! I missed that part.
There sure are fig wasps in Turkey, home of the famous
Smyrna fig.

Quote:
Originally Posted by The_montreal_Fig
Also according to Wikipedia:

In temperate climes, wasps hibernate in figs,

I question if seeing larvae actively in a fig = "hibernation".  I would expect the larvae to be sleeping.  It also looks as if the eye of the fig is maybe closed, which means something must have laid the eggs.

I think the best way to find out would be to learn the egg-to-larvae-to-wasp time schedule.  If egg->larvae cycle is only 14 days, this means a wasp was in this fig with the eye open less than 14 days ago!  It might also give other indications I cannot wrap my brain around =)

Am I the only one who cant see the pictures?

They were showing earlier, but there is some problem with the dynamic host that the pictures are hosted at, they haven't been showing up for the last hour or two.  Hang tight, they're bound to return eventually.

According to Ray Givan
http://www.raysfiginfo.com/figsex.html
..Caprifigs are the host of the fig pollinator Blastophages
psenes or fig wasp which lays its eggs in the caprifig's
short-styled female flowers. The male fig wasp grows,
mates and dies inside the caprifig fruit in which he is born.
The female is more adventuresome. She leaves the caprifig
fruit through its ostiole or eye (picking up a lot of pollen in
the process) and flies off in search of a new fruit at the right
stage of development in which to lay her eggs...

...Caprifigs usually bear three crops a year named profichi,
 mamme and mammoni. Edible figs bear two crops a year
called the breba and main crop...

ALSO, Google search "profichi,  mamme and mammoni".
Look for a (very long) link to a book:
The encyclopedia of fruit & nuts  By Jules Janick, Robert E. Paull
Page 497 describes/shows a nice timing/explanation
about fig-wasps.  Or maybe this works:

http://books.google.com/books?id=cjHCoMQNkcgC&pg=PA497&lpg=PA497&dq=profichi,+mamme+and+mammoni&source=bl&ots=uZ-s9x2N1_&sig=YfApXBF_fAxS8mjSI6Bm59uP7Vk&hl=en&ei=prcFS5bFHtPBlAfc0smjDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CB8Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=profichi%2C%20mamme%20and%20mammoni&f=false




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