Hello and sorry for this negative post on this Negronne doubtful candidate.
I purchased this Negronne plant last year from a reputable source.  On their website it says Negronne aka VDB... 
I knew last year that it didn't look anything like my VDB with the narrow finger leaves but there was many postings that indicated the European Negronne was different with broader leaves etc..

This year this Negronne has produced 6 figs but all tasted quite bland and not sweet.  Nothing like the concentrated rich superb taste of VDB. 
Also the neck stays green regardless of how long and how soft the rest of the fig gets. 

Comments please and suggestions welcome on what this fig actually is.

 

It's easy to get that color configuration when a fig ripens in cooler weather, even if its only cool at night.  

Thanks that is good to know!

Thanks for the info Pino. I bought the same tree from the same source, it didn't fruit yet but I think it will go to fig heaven. It's the third time this happens with this source... I also have Ronde de Bordeaux and Grise de St-Jean from them, do you have these and know if it is the right variety?

Marc if you are referring to a nursery in your neck of the woods then yes the RdB and Grise de St.Jean I bought from there were true.

Joe I have Negronne I started a couple years ago from cuttings from a European forum member and it looks the same as my VdB. I honestly don't see a difference between mine.

Tyler

Yes we are reffering to the same place. It's great that my RdB and Grise de St-Jean are the right varieties.

Thanks Tyler,
Glad to hear of the RdB and Grise de St-Jean!

Marc, the tree had 6 figs and I waited till they were very soft and ripe and yet they were barely sweet and watery taste. 
The tree got lots of sun and water every day. I don't know what else I could have done to grow this fig except maybe grow  in greenhouse.

Any idea what this fig is or what type it is? 

Hi  Pino,
Your tree is too young. I wouldn't make decisions now - I would be tossing 5 in my garden if I did.
IMO, it takes 3 to 4 years for a fig tree to adapt to his new owner especially to the new best cares.
I bought 5 in October 2014, all new strains for me. My 5 were root bound, kept in a smallish pot for too long, not well cared and they had to regrow strong roots this year.
I buried some a bit deeper and I saw that the stems that could root themselves performed faster - so definitively a problem with the original roots - Probably sun cooked.
I'll wait - I don't wanna toss my new Dauphine (bought October 2014) :) - nor do I want to toss my Panachee ... That would be a bad move.
One thing that one has to develop when growing (fig) trees is Patience .
It takes 5 years to an Apricot tree to establish and start fruiting ... Don't buy an Apricot tree .

http://figblog.binhoster.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Ne%CC%81gronne-5-copie.jpg .Pino, Russia figs Negron has the same sheet.

Negronne, Breba.  

Thanks Vladis, those Russian Negron figs look very nice!

Thanks for your wise advise JD.  
I am patient and so this tree will have its chance. 
This year in late June I put him in ground in a sunny area but hard soil.  The tree is 2yrs old and seemed to grow OK healthy leaves and 1' growth.  The figs look nice as long as you don't taste them..LOL  Maybe they are OK for drying.

Are you saying it is Negronne and may just needs more time to get established? 

For a small tree like that maybe 6 figs were too much to handle.

  Pino. My opinion is you have another brand. I have 2 Negron from 2 different sources, but the leaves of plants in Russia are identical.

Thanks Likeo and Vladis!

Vladis what zone are you in to get such nice colours on your Russian Negron? 

Hi Joe
my negronne the figs are small but its like dipping in a jar of jam  

Pino, my climate zone 8A - 8B.

Your fig sounds delicious Raffaele!

Thanks Vladis.

I am starting to get the feeling that my fig is not Negronne?

Definitely not Negronne. Might be a Mission or a better Brown Turkey variant. The leaves are not typical Black Mission, but have seen some BM that have leaves that are that different from the norm.

Thanks for clarifying  Jon!

A follow up question is whether as many have said Negronne is very similar(and possibly is)  to VdB?
 Or as we see from some other postings Negronne is a different fig that looks similar to VdB but much larger and also a quality fig?

Just trying to determine whether to put it back on my wish list..LOL

IMO, Vdb and Negronne are the same or vary closely related. If they are in fact different, it is my opinion that both have been sold under both names and interchanged repeatedly, and, short of DNA testing, there would be no way to tell them apart if they are in fact two different varieties. It is interesting to note that the leaves of VdB and Negronne are very close or the same, even though both display a wide variety of leaves from single lobed to 7 lobed. The predominant pattern is a very distinct 3 lobe shape that I have not seen exhibited by any other variety.

Having said that, it is also my opinion that there could be different "strains" that could show different characteristics which could lead someone to think they are different varieties, or because figs are so responsive to their environment (soil, weather, fertilizer, breed of neighbor's dog, etc.) the differences may only be cultural. I have done this over the years with 2 dozen Celeste "strains" and other tests. I can spot a Celeste from my orchard, even though they all look different. On any given day, almost any tree can have any of the various "looks" but some "looks" seem to predominate on certain trees. I can show you all the characteristics that help identify a Celeste fig, but after sorting though hundreds and hundreds of pictures, I cannot show you a picture that actually embodies all of the characteristics, or in the proper proportion, of what might be called the perfect or ideal Celeste "look". And then when you move them to Texas, or North Carolina, or Michigan, They often have few if any of the characteristics which are so typical at my location - to the point that I likely would not recognize them.

All that to say, they are one and the same and no one can prove otherwise.

Thanks Jon!  Makes sense to me. 

I would love to see a post/discussion on how figs show different characteristics in response to their growing environment and result in different named varieties. 

Greetings, this is my very first post here. I found this thread because I am investigating the eternal VdB/Negronne issue and I have found now several people who have the GeneDaniels/Luzzu type of Negronne which is not the VdB, as far as I can tell. The coloration is deep and there is no white rim (cut in half) and the description of 'incredible berry jam' and 'maybe the best' all fit. Tomorrow I plan to visit Portland, OR, to buy a Negronne at a place where one of the people who have 'the one' bought theirs, though about seven years ago. I don't suppose the business would change what they call a Negronne (though I'll probably ask), and their description doesn't include the VdB reference. I can only hope. I have more than figs in my new little orchard but I am definitely a new and passionate fan of ficus carica. I've read a lot on this forum...what a treat.

Steve, Welcome to F4F forum and thanks for your post! 

Lots of great people and huge database of fig information on this forum and very popular fig forum.

Negronne seems to be one of the old and great figs.  It has been grown in S. France since the 1600's and seems very popular in Europe.  Thus I would like to get an authentic Negronne.  Still not 100% sure that what I purchased is Negronne but it seems to be the size and shape of the EU Negronne not the VdB incirculation here.  So as many people suggested I will give it a few more years to see if it comes through.  Last year planted in a sunny location it was the most blah fig I have ever tasted. 

IMO VdB is similar(or the same) and that seems to be what most people on this side of the pond have.  I haven't found any information on the story and origin of VdB other than it is very popular in N. America.

I got Negronne from Brugmansia, it was not great it just kept growing leaves and stems ever no nitrogen only potassium fertilzier, pinching etc.  The figs weren't great either but I left it at the old house in the ground, 4 years was enough for me.