Hi All,

Okay, this is a follow up to my intro post. It was suggested that I post pictures of the tree that was in the yard when we bought our new home, so that someone could help with the ID. Here are several pics.

With me living in Houston, I am fairly sure that the tree is a Celeste or possible a Texas Everbearing. I have not seen the ripe fruit yet (just moved in a couple of months ago). There was a small breba crop, but they all dropped while pretty young. Not sure how old the tree is either, but house is 8 yrs old.

And before someone comments on there being too much shade, there really isn't anything I can do about that. Well, short of cutting down some other 30 - 40 ft tall trees that is.

- Cliff

Hi Cliff, I took photos last week of the Texas Everbearing that I planted at the community garden and the fruit is similar to yours.

I am thinking TEXAS EVERBEARING TOO. leaves are similar to celeste but still different. Has the red,eye too

Celeste doesn't have the red eye.

Not a Celeste,but what it is ,hard to Guess!

Still trying to ID the tree in my original post. The tree in our yard. I have looked at many fig trees at local nurseries. None of the them looks like our tree. Not when you compare the leaves and young fruit.

But please look at the new attached pics. This tree is in our neighborhood, and I was told that I can take as many cutting as I want. This time I do really think it is a Celeste. But, being a fig newbie, I wanted to ask here. I plan to use the cuttings from this tree to practice my propagation, since I can get many free cuttings.

Thanks to everyone here, for all the great information!

CliffH.



Edited (7/3): Removed pics of Celeste tree in the neighborhood to prevent any confusion.

Well this one is a Celeste,no doubt!.

Hi Cliffh,
Well, "you can take as many cuttings ... " is a saying - IMO, it means take 5 cuttings (10 or 20 in one batch - don't come to the tree every day) , get them going and help yourself with those 5.
So take the cuttings now before your neighbor changes his mind ... Just saying ... Don't wait, or you may regret it ...
Good luck !
By the way, why not setting up now an airlayer ? The timing is good to do so .

I am now starting to think that the tree in my original post (the one in our yard), may be a Black Mission. At least the figs themselves look like other one I have seen recently. What do you think? Black Mission?


Cliff H.

Definitely not black mission. Looks like a Celeste

The tree that I am now thinking is a Black Mission, is the one from the first post. The figs have the red eye, which I have read and been told rules Celeste out as a possible variety. Also, one of the larger local nursery chains always seem to carry BM fig trees....

I am new to figs (although I have recently planted several more trees in the ground), and I would really like to ID this larger tree. I will also post pics with the figs ripen to help with the ID.


-chh

Celeste....100%!

If you going to take 5 cuttings take 5 long ones and when you get home you can cut them in half and make 10

Finally getting some ripe fruit on the tree that I am trying ID. So, not a Celeste after all. Hopefully these pictures will help. Anyone have more suggestions on the variety?

The best two guesses so far are Texas Everbearing and Black Mission.


CliffH

Now that you have fruit looks to be Texas everbearing.

It reminds me of my LSU purple. But mine is young, so no help on leaf shape.

"More importantly, how does it taste? "


Well, I can't say that its really great. It is just okay, but much better than no figs at all!

They taste sweet, but overly so. Not really complex either. More with just a sweet, slightly a brown sugar like taste, and a little "figgy" (as you would expect). Maybe just a hint of apricot when really ripe.

The good new is that we have a 10' - 12' high tree that is now covered in dozens large black figs! And we only lost couple to the birds and a couple more to bugs.


-chh

On the other side of the animal issue, our little Celeste tree (planted further out in the yard) is being mauled by the squirrels. I tried putting the little bags on the ripening figs. They carried off the bags too!

I have to say that a couple of weeks with temp in the upper 90's has made a big different in the quality of the figs we are getting from this tree. That and waiting until they are almost ready to fall off the tree from their own weight. I am really liking the taste of the figs that we are getting the last several days! They are also turning more a strawberry pink inside.