My best friend's aunt/uncle got someone to sneak a cutting back from Iran 10 years ago and I got some cuttings of them I have started up (also gave Bass like 14 of the cuttings so he might have them available for sale if they are good figs at some point).
I tasted them last summer once, but couldn't really give an accurate description as the pros here.
Maybe I can drop off some fruits to Bass this summer so he can write a description for me :).

Pics are attached for the ones that have rooted so far. The parent tree was protected initially but not anymore around Phila suburbs.
Its about 6feet diameter area by 6 feet high (just attached that pic, blurred my friend out of the photo haha). I'll get some pics of the parent tree's fruit/leaves this summer.
I only have cuttings left are in middle of rooting/bags and prob spoken for by iranian relatives/friends.
But I will get a few fresh cuttings up to Jon/Encanto when I have a chance.

Maybe someone can look at the leaves and tell me similar leafed figs?
The lil 3inch cutting i was gonna throw away is in the 3rd pic. I was surprised he rooted, and doesn't seem to have a dominant leave form yet.
Anyway the persian figs have been the easiest to root out of the 6 types i started this year. and all the ones that rooted so far have really strong thick fastest spreading roots.

-Arian

Arian,

We can't see the pics.

Hmmm, I attached them. I just assumed they'd show up in the Attachment area (although that disapears for me sometimes,not sure why).I'll post Image tags directly to them, Although can't set width/height :( so sorry if too big:...

A very interesting leaf shape, that is for sure...

I agree George about the leaf shape.This just gives me another excuse to add this variety to my collection.

I hate it when that happens, and yes I have had that happen to me too.

Thanks for the brief & pic's Persianninja. Hope you can post yummie pic's of this variety in summer. Meantime how about teasing us with some sort of description on its skin & pulp color as well as size, shape. Thanks.

Do you know in which part of Iran was the parent tree?

Arian,

though it is too early to know if it will keep that leaf shape when it matures, it does resemble a Brunswick. Has it ever frozen to the ground and re-grown from below or does it naturally develop such weediness?

>james,
>Do you know in which part of Iran was the parent tree?
I don't, but I told Bass I'd ask their family where her friend/relative got it from and if uncle/aunt didn't know, if possible to still contact their friend to ask.
and also to ask what to name it (personally Im just calling it Persian Phoenix for now cause the leaves remind me of long firey wings as the family didn't know what to call it ).
My friend brought a sampling of figs last summer, (it was alot of figs though, so doesn't need a fig wasp I assume).

>go4broek
>Has it ever frozen to the ground and re-grown from below or does it naturally develop such weediness?
I assume the poles in middle of the plant were to protect it, so never died off.
But I am just guessing, that they always protected it until got big, and didn't die off.
The lil' 3incher gave off a 'weedy' shoot i guess since there was less area for green shoots at the time (i didn't see any buds, and was surprised it grew what did grow from base of cutting). Is that what you mean by weediness? I guess I wouldnt know.
Anyway, I attached a pic of the 3incher giving off the shoot though: The medium and tall cuttings I have are not giving off shoots. I guess looking at the pic of mother tree though, it had to have sent some other shoots from base of the tree over time.


>paully22
>Meantime how about teasing us with some sort of description on its skin & pulp color as well as size, shape.

I don't want to contradict what info from hazy memory I sent to Bass after asking them, so just copying and pasting that info from a few months back when I took the cuttings:
Re-reading the email, the fig was brought more than 10years ago, in 1996 btw, and again also all of this info below is from poor memory from the taste/color as I wasn't as much into figs as I am now, and didn't pay extreme attention to it.
So possibly void below information until get actual pics of the fruit this summer.

"When I asked her, she said they were green... I think she just gave generic description, as i remember that different although my memory also is hazy...
But I think it was more of a soft-green or yellow with ting of another color like pink/purple when I tried some last summer
(something like these: http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b172/Bassgarden/afghanistandark.jpg    or   http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b172/Bassgarden/germanfig.jpg).
They didnt have a unusual look, just slightly round and outside and inside color weren't too unusual. They were medium-large size to me compared to others I have eaten.
Definately larger than black missions you find in supermarket. The time my friend brought like 50 figs for me and friends to try, they were extremely soft/ripe/moist (think they were left on tree just a little too long or put in a moist ziplock bag for too long).
Some fermented pretty quick when my friend left them a couple days accidentally on the counter. The eyes on some were open a little, enough that ants got in and died
(I even tried those and they were good so dont think the eye was open for long or i think it would have soured from bugs gettin in there and carrying bacteria/fungus i think i read), but most weren't that open I think.
Not sure but the flesh inside might have been yellow-amber or yellow-pink, I just remember it definately wasn't something extremely red.
I'll also can get a picture of the fruits next year if you don't fruit first year figs (read some peeps may cut off their fruits and let their figs concentrate on growth or maybe thats other types of plants)."

btw, ParsProduce.com was an iranian type nursery (low rated though i see on dave garden). Anyway, their site is down currently so here are 2 persian ones they claim from their googled cached page.
They had Persian White, and Brown from Kan. I don't think it is resembled fruits from those, or leaves from the figs4fun ones Black Persian or Esfahani (altough i am interested in those :) ) or Bass's Persian White.

I am also tempted to ask a relative to sneak a cutting in from my mom's dads old house from I think the city of Mashad. Any good ideas to have fig cuttings come through Iran Mail haha? or luggage haha?

She claimed there was a fig tree there that made the hugest yellow figs, and when she describes them, she uses her whole hand to show how gargantuan these figs were lol. (but then again she was probably a kid at the time, and everything seemed huge :) )

I was hoping it might be the same kind my grandfather grew, but he was in Shiraz (opposite side of the country). 

Many of the people I know who are traveling to Iran are going with two passports for fear of harassment.  They travel from the U.S. to Europe on an American passport, then from Europe to Iran on their Iranian passport.  A package from Europe may not be as suspicious as one coming through Iran mail ;)

Arian, The leaves of this Persian figs do resemble the Esfahan fig that I have, though it didn't bear yet. 

Hey Bass,
Is the Esfahani you have a cutting from this Encanto one: http://figs4fun.com/Thumbnail_Esfahani.html
or possibly from another fig from Esfahan?
The leaves on the site looked a bit different to me.
Anyway, I'll ask my friend next time it produces a crop this summer, to give me some ripes ones, and I can stop by so you can eventually compare when the other ones fruits :).

>I just got another Iranian fig seedling today from Shirazi figs.
Cool, are these the ones that are usually sold dried? (well i guess thats the only way I'd be trying an iranian fig in most persian stores in the U.S.)


>james
>Many of the people I know who are traveling to Iran are going with two passports for fear of harassment.
Isnt the negative though of a dual passport, is that Iran doesnt recognize an american passport and if you do something, they can do whatever they want since they consider you purely an Iranian subject to iranian laws?
Someone not terribly knowledgeable in traveling there told me that, so just wanted to confirm as I may goto Iran this year to visit relatives.

-Arian

It's funny you mention it Bass.  I have only recently been able to enjoy California pistachios and forget about any grapes I have had in the states.  I wasn't sure if I was being overly nostalgic or what.  One summer (I think I was 12) just before the fall of the Shah, my brothers and I spent most of our time in the fig and pomegranate trees in my grandparents' courtyard or in his fig/apricot/grape/pear orchards.  I remember my grandfather whenever I eat fruit.  I'm excited about your Shirazi cutting.

Arian, I think I put down an incomplete thought.  When in Europe, they rent a locker and leave behind anything (including their American passport) which might link them to the U.S.  They also say they don't talk about being in the U.S. while there either.  On the flip side, my dad had to go a couple of years ago for some inheritance issues.  He had to go to court there since he worked for a NASA contractor, they labeled him a spy and would not release property to him.  He said he didn't have any problems with harassment or interrogation while there.  I think keeping a low profile is key.