This was an incrediby small fig last year, but very, very nice flavor. This year it is much larger, though still small, and even better in flavor.

Interesting to hear your favorable opinion regarding Yellow Neches, Jon! Condit was not very impressed with it in Hilgardia, but there have been other figs that he did not care for that I thought were quite good. Yellow Neches is a pioneer fig that was collected from Angleton, Texas in 1929 (The Neches is a river in east Texas.) Condit commented that a specimen of the tree was also noted in Jamestown, VA in 1940.

Had no idea about the history. Always wondered if the Neches might be a corruption of Natchez. Yellow Neches also got high marks from Ed at USDA/UC Davis as well.

I have read sources that speculated that "Neches" and "Natchez" are actually the same word. There was a town in Texas many years ago that was referred to as "Natchez on the Neches (River)". The name Natchez was, I believe, derived from the Natchez Indians of the Southeast United States, a tribe peripherally related to the Aztecs and other Mesoamerican tribes. One of the earliest trails through the South was known as the "Natchez Trace". I suspect that, given the evidence of the "Yellow Neches" fig in Jamestown, VA, that the fig was carried by settlers to Texas from Virginia or points west. The fig may have been grown on the Neches River or may have been brought via the Natchez Trace. The origin of the name may be lost to the mists of time. At any rate, it is good to know that the "Yellow Neches" may have potential as a "gourmet" fig. The taste and performance of figs are notoriously capricious, subject to the vagaries of climate and soil. To those of us for whom taste is more important than commercial potential (size and number of crops), the opinions of an authority such as Condit are important and certainly to be considered. However, from reading his work, I believe that for him, the commercial potential of a fig had a higher priority than the taste of the fig alone. I do not have "Yellow Neches" in my collection, but I will give it a try!

I recently learned that Condit's sole goal was to develop a common fig to replace the Calimyrna as a dried fig. Thus, the emphasis on light colored figs, and why Yellow Neches was probably of no interest to him.

Hello all,

There is a small town named Neches here in East Texas

I live about 20mi. from it.

Cecil

Is the yellow neches is self pollination fig?

Yes. They are very small, but also very good when fully ripe. Very soft, almost velvet like skin.

Jon:You hit the nail on the head with explanation on post #5.