Petite Negri. I received this tree in October 2011. Thanks Frank (FMD). It was a layer from his grounded and mature tree. My tree is potted and its fruits are not petite. It has been a slow to moderate grower as this is the very first season that it has produced figs. It ripens a minimum of one to a maximum of three figs every two to three days when the weather cooperates. It is our best large fig. Recently, in an informal poll of three who eats figs in our household (our son abstains; he is not a fig nor a mango guy yet...say wth?), we rated Petite Negri as the runner up to Pananas Purple and better than Hardy Chicago. Petite Negri has a complex but not a figgy (like a Celeste) nor is it as sweet (as a Celeste) but its flavor profile is unique and very good. I need a few (10) more figs to describe it better.

Well it looks good!  Sounds like you need a few more of these in your yard.

Looks great . It's pure pulp inside .

Thanks for the pics and info .

John

In another thread, FMD said his PN seemed to be Petite Aubique.  What do you thinque?

mnedelcu has pics of the Petite Aubique.  The fruits seem to be smaller than Petite Negri fruits.  OTOH, mnedelcu's VdB's fruit are rather large.

Generally, the fruit shown here looks like what I'd get.  Wonder how many grams the fruit shown above is, typical main season has a few 2x gram early figs, and mostly 35g-45g figs, with a few figs 50g or so.

I see the primary value of this fig being the complexity of flavors, if you can bear to wait and protect the fig.  The longer you have the fig on the tree, the more figginess it will get (it will never get as figgy as a Celeste or as sweet, but it will be so much richer and intense), and the better sweetness you'll have.  That particular fig looks a bit swollen since the ripe fig usually do not have a very open eye, but the interior looks pretty darn ripe.  Need to get an airlayer planted in the ground for full flavor, I suspect, and MOAR HEAT (but not too much, it gets water stressed easily).

Bob,
It would be nice if this were an exact science but it just would not be as fun.

I recognize that some identifications are obvious and that Herman's identification skills much better than most. I tend to avoid the name discussions because there are figs to be grown. More importantly, figs to be eaten.

Thanks for pointer to Frank's thread because I missed his notice to owners of his Petite Negri. When I read the thread, however, there was only anecdotal and no conclusive evidence that compelled me to think that Frank's tree was not Petite Negri and could be positively identified as Aubique Petite. I am certain that Frank thought about it, thus will ask him why he changed his mind.

Meanwhile, I have trees that are named VdB, VdB EL, Aubique Petite, and Petite Negri. I should be able to sample fruits from each fig this season and probably within a two day window because they appear to have similar traits. I sampled VdB and Petite Negri on the same day and they are similar (no doubt) but different (no doubt) to my taste buds. As you know well, the factors that could impact growth, flavor, productivity, and size are numerous: FMV, pot, potting media, water, sunlight, castings, fertilizer, mulch, limestone.

I believe that the right name adds value (see LSU ___, ___ de Bordeaux, ___ Black, Maltese ___). I also know that a great tasting fig is more valuable.

Darius,
I will consider adding the weight parameter to my fig descriptions in the future and having a digital scale will make it easier to do so.

JD, I posted my PN that I just picked for some comparison. I should have left it another day though. It was still good.

My figs are a long way from being ripe.


And yeah, newnandawg, PN has that issue where it's good at maturity, and it looks good at maturity, but it's still a few more days.  Gives birds and other critters plenty of chances without protection.  That pic looks maybe three or so days from being truly ripe like the OP pic.

I guess those of us who have figs to eat, do and those of us without figs to eat whine about names   ;)    I really want to avoid getting figs similar to what I have. Even my greed/hoarding instincts have to face the Pauly exclusion principle (2 fig plants cannot occupy the same place at the same time) eventually.  But you make Petite Negri sound so amazing.  I have to admit that your fruit looks more like PN than AP.   So if your tree came from Frank maybe the differences between PN and AP are cultural.  You get PN type fruit if you live in conservative areas and AP like fruit in liberal areas?  Or mabe it's the type of music they hear.   :)  (I don't really think that, it's a joke)

Bob,
Over the next few days, I will do my best to provide a comparative example of the leaves and ripe fruit from a tree labeled Petite Negri (from Frank) and the leaves and ripe fruit from a tree labeled Aubique Petite. I know that an example is not a proof. It can, however, confirm that these are two distinctly different trees as well as it will keep the discussion focused on the naming convention.

JD,

Very nice fig - a winner ! Looks delicious.It is now on my file 'figs to order'
I am much interested to bring it to the local environment and see how they behave

Francisco

The Catalans have Petite Negri, so you don't need to do anything but cross the border for a bit to get a stick or two.

Good point.
Whenever available,  get rooted young trees from Italy with no issues so far.
With good cultivation practices the Season after the small tree may already give some samples.
Francisco

Petite Negri needed another day...but when I checked it I tore the stem...so today became the day to offer this example. Petite Negri, Aubique Petite, and VdB are all potted and get the same Southern exposure in the same micro climate. Appearance, flavor, size, leaf shape, and growing habit indicate that these three are different/similar. Aubique and Petite Negri both have FMV. All three are good. If someone said "Pick One", my answer is "Yes".

Can you describe the differences in flavor?  Are they equally productive and early?

Bob,
The family voted for fig pizza tonight. Thus I sampled only a quarter of one fig of each. I want and need more. Flavor. For my taste, VdB has the more complex flavor. Aubique Petite is slightly more acidic. Petite Negri is more dense. Productivity. Aubique Petite is out of its mind right now and seems to be the most productive. VdB is next and has produced two loner figs with the others starting the blushing that occurs before swelling and final coloring. Petite Negri takes it time to produce those big 'ol figs...one...at...a...time on my tree. Early. First season getting figs on Petite Negri and Aubique Petite. VdB was first but only produced a single fig twice. Aubique Petite is about the ripen them all over a five day period. VdB will like do the same but not yet.

The leaves do look a bit different than mine.  Ah, well.

Hey Jimmie, glad to see your PN producing such nice figs. I gave a starter to a friend in Lafayette Oaks 5 years ago and it's become a giant specimen and huge producer. I posted pictures a few months ago.

As you know, the original came from EL in 1993, so the lineage goes back a while. I brought it down with me from NJ when we moved to Tallahassee , as I did the alma, beall, nj red and a few others. They've done we'll here.
Glad you are having a banner fig year!

thanks for the instant classic photos all season long!

how about fruit size, and skin thickness and white meat under skin thickness? any differences there?

Frank,
Thanks for the Petie Negri. Great fig.
Did you see Bob's post (#4) in this thread? It refers to a post you made saying that you thought it was not Petite Negri...

JD, that appears.to have been a premature and poorly thought out declaration by me based on posts made by others who didn't have your advantage of comparing both cultivars side by side. As a man of science, I should know better. I would rely on your judgement at this point, and from what I infer from this thread is that the pn from EL is not identical to your pa in several different aspects. Correct?
Of course, these differences could be accounted for by many different factors aside from genetics. Clear as mud, as usual....

Correct Frank. I believe your Petite Negri EL is different from what I have labeled as Aubique Petite (as well as VdB) less the crucial environmental factors. Both are now must-have. I like the Bordeaux style/profile. If such a thing exists, I might describe it as a medium sized, purple-black skin, dense, rich, mildly acidic (vs sweet) with a slight crunch and a minimal void. In comparison with other medium size figs I have tasted this season, Late Black, Scott's Black, Improved Celeste, Pananas Purple, Stallion, and Celeste are sweeter. Socorro Black, MVSB, Pananas Purple, and Hardy Chicago share a slight acidity as well as a unique taste quality that I refer to as 'complex'.