Let's see if I can answer all the questions. I was away selling at CRFG Festival of Fruit Friday and yesterday so got a little behind (figs and bananas).
Martin, didn't know that the bar was a high as it was when I used it - it was just what I liked and wanted more of. Yes, it turned out to be a high bar.
Ottawan, I find that the ones in pots seem to have less color overall, often more cream colored at the stem, and smoother skinned That may be de to a lack of maturity, but I frankly don't remember what my Vista/VdB looked like when it was a juvenile. They don't show a lot of color till the begin swelling and ripening.
Apoist, gorgi, All I can say is that environmental factors and interchanging of names and varieties are probably responsible for many of the similarities and dissimilarities that we see in leaves. They are quite variable on the same tree, and given different soil, climate, etc as mentioned above may exaggerate or express leaf styles not seen else where, even if from the same parent. I have a Vista (officially Vista OL, for odd leaf) that had only single lobed leaves for a couple years. I thought I had mislabeled it until a side branch expressed the usual 3/5 lobe leaves. This season all leaves are 3/5 lobed, as normal, but it had no fruit. My Raspberry Latte has single and deeply crenelated 5 lobe leaves, some branches one way, some others, and they sometimes change back and forth in the same season or different seasons.
All of the Negronnes, Vista, VdBs, Beer's Black, etc, etc, etc. has very similar leaves, that seem distinct from any others, and the fruit is all similar or close. Are they all the same, or just very closely related? Only a bunch of $ for DNA testing will settle it, and even then environment is still the major factor.
Paully,
Dauphine (SP type) is really nice this year. Pratt Purple has dsuddenly matured into a nice fig. Samoa Sunshine (aka Yellow Unknown FN), was a surprise last season, and I have good expectations for it. I have a couple new seedlings with first fruits this season that are very promising (need to learn when they are ripe), incl one with an interesting breba behavior, that I will know more about in a few weeks, hopefully. Lemon was impressive last year, and has not ripened this year. Violette Dauphine has been late ripening until this season, and is among the early ones, and a great fig. Strawberry Verte is less sweet, but a nice fig, and heavy bearer. Col de Dame is a winner. White Adriatic (can't remember from which nursery, right now) had the best breba I have ever had (most are yucky here) last season, but none this season. Had my first Fico Piedmonte today (Belleclare) and it has very nice. Similar to Marseilles VS or Maryland Berry (aka BT-MD). Panache and Black Madeira are still awesome if you have the heat and long season they require. Hey, a list of 10 leaves out way too many. And flavor is not everything. If it doesn't ripen in you climate, it is still a "zero". If it doesn't have much crop, a "10" for flavor might not be worth the space. Ranking is dependent on many factors besides taste in many parts of the country (and other countries such as our neighbor to the north),
Jason, re: size difference. The first, and most important thing to learn/remember about figs is this: "They respond to anything and everything in their environment." This means weather (in general), length of season, temps during the season, temps when ripening, water (amount [overwatering, underwatering, inconsistent watering, drip, flood, hurricane, etc.], frequency, salinity, dissolved minerals, whether from rain or irrigation, time of year of rainfall, etc.), fertilizer (type, frequency, inorganic, organic, salt concentration in manures, etc), soil type (clay, loam, etc), whether in-ground or in-pot, sunlight/shade percentages, breed of neighbor's dog (or you dog, or lack thereof) if he is peeing on your trees, caprification, and anything else that enters their environment. This was the only real pearl of wisdom I took away from a lecture from a guy that has been growing figs about 40 years more than I have. (I am sure there were others, I just didn't retain them.) It seemed a "little" exaggerated at the time, but becomes more true every season. Sybil of Paradise Nursery did not recognize her figs when grown at my location. It is part of the mystery and FUN of figs. To some extent, you never know what the next season will bring.