I'm ashamed to say I know nothing about this important fig variety. Maybe because hardly anyone this side of the Mississippi grows it (or talks about it if they do).

What can you tell me about it? Got pics? (I've looked at the database but would like to see your pics of leaves and fruit)? What are the identifiers?

This is a Black Mission leaf. It grows everywhere here in Fresno.

isn't that the fig that spaniards brought to the new world? franciscan or something. I think they might be associated with spanish mission. maybe associated with franciscan order?

Thanks, Brian. Sometime I see pics of leaves that more "frilly" than most varieties I am familiar with (not as frilly as IceCrystal, but have more variation in a single lobe than most common varieties. 

I'm sure everyone's seen this pic during web searches -- I think from Condit (below). Most varieties common to my area have the more smooth rounded "full" lobe like the one's on the top row. The pics for Mission and San Piero --bottom row --have an irregular oak-leaf quality that is unique to me. Even your (Brianm) pic shows the center lobe with multiple sinuses---not something I see a lot. 

Are there other Missions other than Black Mission?

(And thanks for indulging me...I suppose Mission in California is like Celeste in Alabama...so common we expect everyone must know what it is :))

 

I am of the opinion that there is either a very broad range of Mission / Black Mission variants, or two similar but different varieties.

Some are fairly pale red / pinkish on the inside, looking almost like a Brown Turkey. Others are much deeper red. Some have very shiny skins, and others seem less shiny.

The pix above of a BM leaf is pretty accurate but they can be more plain and more deeply fingered, as well.

I believe that they all have some pinkish color in their leaf stems - some more so than others.

See Black Mission for some of the range of colors.

I hope to take pix tomorrow of a tree that I suspect is Black Mission, but has leaves that look like Brunswick.

Thanks, Jon.     BTW Do you think your "Willow" is a Mission-type?

I believe that all figs are basically unknowns, except the Black Mission...LOL    On a serious note: I thought every collector had this one first...????

Here is a Black Mission that is fairly common in my SoCal town:
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/black-fig-id-please-6487822?pid=1279214943#post1279214943

This is one one the best black figs I’ve tasted (along with the VdB/Negronne)

i started collecting backwards. got all the things that was not easy to find, then went after most common ones. so i still don't have Black Mission.. not that i'm looking for it. i'll probably look for it in few yrs. 

and I thought that a Black Mission is a Black Mission. So I purchased a nice size Black Mission from Walmart yesterday. I couldn't resist despite running out of space. They only had three of them and they looked like they were desperate for oxygen. I'm going to change the soil and see what I end up with.

Have a question about Black Mission,  Are all Missions the same....????  I have trees from the neighborhood and other stores /nurseries. So are they going to taste different just because they come from different suppliers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

   



Now, I don't know if this is Black Mission, but some previous experieince with a tree in Scottsdale leads me to believe that it is. Will find out this year, most likely. Yes, all the leaves are from the same tree.

Fantastic photos. Thanks!