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Research on Ice Crystal, primitive fig.quite

Technical report on the cultivation of a Ficus carica "Ice Crystal".

Ice Crystal is a selected variety in the Netherlands from Esveld (Plantentuin Esveld) to Boskoop.

The variety was produced and selected by Cor Van Gelderen, owner in the nurseries, which collected seeds from fruits harvested during an his excursion to eastern Turkey.
The seeds harvested in the Esveld Nurseries produced about 250 seedlings.
Of these only one survived outdoor in the winter.
This plant was called "Ice Crystal", and marketed by the Nursery.

It is extremely resistant to cold and dry (it survives with 30% less water than other fig trees).
It has bushy bearing (many small branches), with its very fragmented leaves and the fruits have long petioles.
The plant subject of the report has been installed in a large vessel, it has a height of one meter, and a width of one and a half meters.
The plant is double fruiting, although on the buds of the previous year it produced only one breba, which fell immature.
The behavior of the fruiting is different from the figs of the Mediterranean basin we know.
The plant produces, from spring, with regularity and continuity new fruits that gradually enlarge and fall.
Only the pollenized fruits continue to ripen, which happens very fast and involves fruit coloring and complete enlargement. In my case it polluted a SINGLE fruit at the end of July (unusual) (TILL NOW), 85 grams.
I think it's a "Myrna Type" fig, unless it is possible to certify the brebas stay, in this case it would be like "San Pietro Type".

Growth of fruits seems to be a sign of primitiveness, since it seems to be devoted to the possibility of pollination under conditions that must be accompanied by a difficult concomitance in the space and time of the caprifigs / pollen insects.
This enormous amount of fruit scattered in the time of fertile figs, in fact produces only a few, very few, fertilized figs.

If this fact of primitiveness indicates the condition of "wild fig" in the Ficus carica species, on the other hand, it is evident that the production efficiency of the figs we normally know appears to be carefully selected to have copious fruits together with copious pollination ... together, or fruiting however.
In the pictures, bearing of leaves and fruits, petioles, fruit, seeds, dropping on bottom.

L'immagine può contenere: pianta, spazio all'aperto, cibo e naturaL'immagine può contenere: cibo
L'immagine può contenere: pianta, fiore e natura
DSC_1106.JPGL'immagine può contenere: cibo
 


Thanks for the report!  Always great to hear of new figs.

How old was the plant that survived the winter and how cold was the average winter temperature?

Unfortunately you say it is a smyrna type so that may not be very helpful for cold climate growers unless you want to grow it for the attractive leaves.

Hello Pino,
The plant that survived the winter was simply a seedling, sowed the year before.
About temperature it was the winter in Boskoop, Netherland, You can ask Cor Van Gelderen, of the Esveld Nursery, to be more precise about range.
(Also Cor considers the variety primarily decorative, and may be not for fruit).
I sent by email this relation also to him.
I received notice that a person in northern France (declared as 100% without pollenizer) had 4 fruits: two dropped unripe and two ripened; I asked if was with void seeds, (sign that ripening is surely parthenocarpic), but I do not have had sure answer till now,
Is possible that is not Smyrna, but the fact that a lot of fruit dropped is not a good sign. Here B. psenes is everywhere, ... but not alway.
We are only at end of July, I will take you (all) informed for more.
B.

Love the leaf pattern on that. Be nice to have it just for that reason alone.

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