This is "Lemon Fig". My first harvest on a 1 yr old tree. The fruit looks pretty and large, but taste watery. I'll relocate it to a sunny spot and give it a few more years in ground to determin if it's worth keeping.

I'm sorry to hear it was watery but thank you for sharing it. I have 1 fig on my year old Lemon but I don't think it has time to ripen. I've heard some pretty good things about the taste though.

I also heard good comment on it as well. so I will give it a few more year and move it to a sunny spot. Other than that, the fig is pretty large and looks pretty.

Is this the same fig as white Marseillaise ?

I found several names: Lemon - Italian Honey - White Marseilles - Blanche - Lattarula - Heritage. But I can't confirm because I don't have the rest to compare.

Nice, thanks for sharing.

Best,
Tam

I got one of these under the name of Portland 3. It's a pretty tree, easy to root, good grower, but does not seem very prolific. It's pretty high on my 'cull' watch list. If the figs it has now (not ripe yet) aren't over a 5 on my personal taste scale, I'm not going to waste any more water, time or space on it.

Lemon is NOT the same mention above.  I know there is confusion but they are not the same.  Lemon is a completely different fig.  Feel free to call Petals from the Past Nursery.  They carry both White Marseilles and Lemon and so do I.  Despite what Jon has on his database page, they are not the same.  No offense Jon.....  :)

Furthermore, most of Jon's pictures are pictures of figs grown in his area.  Meaning those figs have been caprified!  If you don't have the fig wasp living and dancing in your area, your common figs (and mine) won't look like those in his pictures.  Unless he uploads pictures of figs that came from other sources showing figs that were not caprified.  Plus some pictures could be wrong.  FOr many many months, the current picture listed shown as Adriatic was listed as Marseilles.  I emailed Jon months back and the photo was changed.  But it took months for this to occur.  So during this time people were viewing this picture thinking it has a red center and it does not!  I know mistakes happen but people believe what they see and so do I.  Today, I got my own Lemon fig trees are Marseilles.  My Marseilles is a ribbed green fig with a white center that's very sweet.  It's one of my favorite green figs to eat and it ripen in June.  Lemon ripens much later.

I have 2 Lemon figs and they look nothing like my Marseilles and taste like water.  They have a smooth skinn, not ribbed like Marseilles.  The flavor is not that good for my pilate.  Maybe in a couple of years the flavor will improve but my 2 Lemon trees put out a lot of figs and I wish they are sweeter!  This winter I plan on planting one in the ground and compare it to the other growin in a pot.  Keeping my fingers crossed!

Back in 2009 when Jon first posted about Lemon, he said it taste like Butterscotch!:  Go here...
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/lemon-3585825?pid=34607388#post34607388

Here is my first taste test on Lemon:
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/lemon-fig-pics-5930602?pid=1274300344#post1274300344

Believe what you want but the Lemon tree sold to me from Petal from the Past is not the same as my Marseilles sold to me also by Petal from the Past.

cheers,

Jimmychao sorry for derailing your topic,
Snaglpus thanks for clearing it up for me, some really good information.

Dennis, I agree with your assessment. Many website of fig growers list White marseilles and lemon as the same, I have several of each and they are different in growth habits and figs. My understanding looking at papers from years ago, one orginated in inland regions in northern italy and France, the the other came from shore areas in Greece.  The one Jimmy above is discussing is the one I call Greek Lemon. I had one from a friend  5 years ago which is now a good size  tree, and two from ebay NJ seller rooted last year and one push out a couple figs.  The figs tend to be bland the first 2 -3 years, then mature into very sweet, very productive at the 4 year point.  Many trees coming from the same gene pool if not the same type can result in different growth and taste depending on health, local climate, soil, etc. as you state. Although the two types I have are commonly reffered to as the same cultivar, they have slightly different taste and structure in the fruit and bark profiles are different.  This is not a debate however for me, rather the joy of collecting figs from various fellow collectors!

Jimmy,
Thanks for posting pictures and commentary.
What is the source of your Lemon fig? Thanks...

I have a Lemon from Petals and it is a very strong grower. It has put on six feet of growth this year (now a 1 year old plant). I pinched all the figs because they would not have had time to ripen this year.

The leaves of the Lemon look similar to the Lattarula and not the White Marsailles or Italian Honey. Also sometimes the Dottato and Kadota figs are referred to as Italian Honey, but they are completely different, with smooth tough chewy skins. White Marsailles and Italian Honey figs are ribbed with large seeds and are usually very sweet.
    

My source is from a guy who sell on ebay. He is also in Northern Jersey around Livingston area.

Is this the same as the Llimonenca variety?

Bump on an old thread...

Two questions:

1.  Alias' of Lemon would just be Blanche then?  Lattarulla (Italian Honey) and White Marseilles are different varieties correct?
2.  Are their others that grow Lemon that can confirm the taste improves over time?  If so, at what age?

Thanks. 

I concur with Denis, my Lemon fig tree is going on it's 5th year. MY Lemon looks like Encanto farms accession "6-22"....pinkish tinge to seeds and eye cracks on skin (from watering?), but no splits this last year.

Keep in mind there are likely diffrent "strains", so my Lemon fig tree may not be your "Lemon" fig tree

I'm In FL, so no caprification.

About the flavor, unless you pick it dead ripe shrivled on the tree it will not be sweet nor extreemly "figgy ". STILL even a tad under ripe it has a very delicate fig flavor, and it has a citrus like under-tone.

I like it simply because it's a survivor, came back 3 times from the base due to lack of water / care when I lived 300 miles away from my land...all four celestie figs I planted died from the same conditions.

Well, year SIX and the fruit qaulity improved...when fully ripe it is Jammy and sweet, with a good fig flavor...it is not a show stopper, but I am happy.

Just an update. :)

I'm sorry as I have been too lazy (eye strain) to read everything but Dennis is right. I have all the figs listed and can tell you that Lemon is it's own fig -- extrodinarily productive and a bit boring fruit wise unless you want to make reserves. I have never seen a tree that had more fruit then this variety - and big fruit -- as in won't fit in a coffee cup.

Micheal,

My tree must be very different, because it is not as big as your...and this year (year six), i can honestly say it is a decent fig when fully ripe. My fruit resembles Encanto accession "6-22".

Jammy breba from my strain of Lemon fig.
this is my biggest one yet, year six, and it took that long before it became a good fig. :)

Here is a main crop, less than 1/2 size the breba, not my best main crop lemon fig, just an example of my strain...

I have found at least some figs can be very different if grown in different areas. I wonder if that is in effect here.

I got rid of my 2 Lemon trees last year.  They were not worth my time.

Mgginva,

Other than being grown with more heat (especially winter) and more sandy soil, I am sure my "lemon" is a diffrent fig than the OP, or what Dennis had.


Mine do not exactly taste like butterscotch, but if I close my eyes and immagine them caprified, I could see the taste going in that direction..this year the flavor is full, but more delicate than butterscotch.

pm me if you want cuttings, but you must promise to wait 6 years, and I am not sure how it will bear fruit in a pot. :)

----,
Dennis,

Good for you, seems like you waited long enough....I am sure my fig is not the same tree as yours, even if I call it "lemon"

Only took SIX years inground to become tasty.

I have kids that eat unripe blackberries, etc., so I kept it for thier nurishment....and now I am loving it..

Up date;
mt Lemon is producing very good figs this year. I have let it be  - the last couple years and it has been super productive -- absolutely my most productive, but this year I picked off 1/3 of the baby figs. What a difference.


Lewi,
thx 4 offer but I am overwhelmed by what I have to do right now.

Michael, I too have an update!

Last week I was in Ocracoke Island, NC.  If you don't know, Ocracoke has a old history of fig trees.  Well, at the square down on Hwy 12, there are 4 fig trees planted without any tags.  I ran into a guy who said he planted a Lemon fig adjacent to the Ice Cream parlor on the left side of the building.  I walked over to the tree and was able to locate one lemon fig ripening on the tree.  Others were present but none were ripening.  The guy said the tree was planted there 6 years ago.  I picked that one fig and I must say, it truly does look like a lemon!  But it had no taste.  Like Michael said, maybe this variety needs more time for them to become better.  I'm planning on going back to Ocracoke in October.  When I do, I'll take a few cuttings and try this tree again.  The tree had zero FMV. Here are a few pictures of the tree and one semi-ripe fig.

 

 

 

 

enjoy!