The owner of these fig trees is from Portugal. She told me that her trees are Gota de Mel and Gota de Mel was from Portugal. Her Portuguese friend gave her the cuttings 8 years ago. Her trees bear 2 crops per year. The breba crops are larger than the main crops. Both breba and main crops have greenish yellow skins and fully ripened figs have dark-purplish red pulps. There were so aromatic, very sweet, crunchy, jammy with a taste of strawberry flavor when they are fully ripe. Honey will leak out at their eyes when they are fully ripe. The skins taste crunchy and also, skins can be peeled like a banana. Three or more years old branches have leaf shapes like Black Madeira; however, one to two years old branches and all suckers have leaf shapes like Col De Dame. Most of the figs pictured below were not fully ripe yet. I just picked them for the photos. The owners ate all the ripened figs by the time the photos were taken. Thank you for watching my photos.
Beautiful tree and leaveshape! Thanks for sharing.
susieqz
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lovely, luxurient trees. you have a great camera. thanks.
Oshawaman
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Great pictures Tam.I think that Gota de Mel maybe the same as Pingo de Mel because gota and pingo both mean drop so the translation would be Drop of Honey.I could be wrong but they probably are the same tree...Francisco or Nelson might be able to help you...good luck!
Manny
Pattee
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Beautiful , healthy tree with beautiful fruit ! Thanks for sharing Tam. My Pingo de Mel is young . If they are the same , I hope it looks like this tree !!
Tam
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Thanks everyone for looking at my photos.
Manny: Franciso, Nelson or perhaps Herman2 may have more information about this fig tree. Thank you.
Best, Tam
GRamaley
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Wonderful photos, beautiful tree and fruits!!
Dieseler
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Great photo's and thanks.
Tam
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Thanks: Everyone.
Does anyone have Gato de Mel or Pingo de Mel, please post photos of fruits and leaves so we can compare. The owner of these trees said that her trees are the Gota de Mel, not the Pingo de Mel. Thank you.
Best, Tam
cis4elk
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Nice pics. You are so lucky, you have amazing connections!
Tam
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Calvin: Thank you for watching my photos.
Best, Tam
lampo
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Tam,
You have there a very nice fig and your pictures are super.
This fig does not seem to be a Pingo de Mel.
Fruit shape , leaves and fig pulp do not match the Pingo de Mel I know.
Pingo de Mel and Kadota are very close figs, both with golden syrupy pulps,which may switch to pink, light redish if caprificated. Pingo de Mel produces a breba crop in June and the main crop does not require caprification to ripen.
On the other hand I was up to now convinced that 'Gota de Miel' was the name this same fig gets in Spain.
It would help a lot to get from the people who owns the tree more precise information on its origins. If the origin is Madeira, there is a chance that it could be a Bacorinho.
May be Nelson can bring some light on the subject.
Francisco
Rewton
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Tam, it looks like a great (though late) fig for our area. I don't suppose this is the same as the fig I got from you called Mai's unknown which is also supposed to have derived from Portugal? Probably not since my notes say the Mai's unknown is supposed to be a dark fig but I thought I would check to make sure. If you learn anything more about Mai's unknown please let me know - thanks!
Tam
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Hi! Francisco,
How are you? Thank you for your comments on this Gota de Mel. I remembered the owner also told me that the English name for her tree is DRAP HONEY (not drop honey). Can you please post some leaf photos of Pingo de Mel when you have a chance. The owner told me that if her tree were a single trunk and left unpruned for 3 or more years, all the leaves on that tree will look like the leaves of the Black Madeira. However, once the tree is pruned, the current and second year grows of the same branches will have leaf shapes like Col De Dame. If that tree is unpruned for the next 2 years, than on the 3 year that same branches will have leaf shapes like Black Madeira. I will ask the owner again for more information when I have a chance to come there. Thank you.
Best, Tam
lampo
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Hi Tam,
Thank you, I am not aware of all those intricate leaf 'metamorphosis' on the Pingo de Mel
cultivar. It has on its back at least some 8 or 10 synonyms and I accept that there will be various strains, as well as the wasp contribution on certain regions, making figs to appear somehow different.
The link I am attaching to this message respects the pure and genuine Pingo de Mel as it is all over southern Portugal and this particular one was not affected by any wasp intrusion.
Thank you for the link of your Pingo de Mel's photos. Please look at my pictures above: single, three lobed leaves and three lobed leaves with 2 thumbs, are these leaf shapes belong to Madeira's fig cultivars ? Please let me know when you have a chance. Thank you.
Best, Tam
tamarness
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Beautiful pictures! I love the ones of the peeled figs. :-)
lampo
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Tam,
I shall try and find out how do they look over there.
Francisco
Tam
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Thanks Francisco and Tamar.
Best, Tam
nelson20vt
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This is a great looking fig, good find Tam.
As mentioned before gota de Mel and pingo de Mel do mean the exact same thing thing drop of honey.
Regardless both are are generally the same and honey figs with amber to carmine pulp.
This is something else looks great what ever it is.
Ps it is possible it's known as such in that particular town.
You should ask them where in Portugal this fig originated from.
Tam
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Thanks Nelson, I will ask the owner about what you said. This tree is very strong and vigorous grower. Thank you.
Best, Tam
Grasa
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All literature says Pingo de Mel is Kadota. I never heard of 'gota' de mel, but those Portuguese from the old land know best. If your friend wants to call it Gota, so, be it. It is amazing and those photos are terrific. I wish I could taste one.
Tam
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Thanks Grasa, it is good to know.
Does anyone have a mature Kadota? Please let me know if this Gota de Mel tree looks like a Kadota. I have one young tree in one gallon container. Thank you.
Best, Tam
deerhunter16b
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those are nice!!!!!
rafaelissimmo
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Hi Tam,
Many Europeans seem to think that Gota de Mel and Kadota/Dottato are the same thing. See http://www.galgoni.com/CAT/Fotos_Maxi/057.htm Some Europeans think they are synonymous with Col de Dame Blanche. I have a Kadota and a Goccia D'Oro (syn. with Dottato). They are both honey figs. So too are store-bought Kadotas. Usually they are pink pulp, but not deep red. Now while Gota de Mel or Miel means honey, I would not call the above pictures you posted a honey fig. Those deep red figs resemble Col de Dame Blanche. Not Kadota if you ask me.
Best regards
Rafael
rafaelissimmo
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Maybe you can google translate this page:
http://www.infojardin.com/foro/showthread.php?p=7045915
Tam
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rafaelissimmo: Thank you very much for your information and the links. What you said is true. This Gota de Mel looks more related to Col De Dame's fig family if the tree is pruned every year, but is also related to Madeira's fig family if the tree is left unpruned for 3 years.
Best, Tam
persianmd2orchard
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Hi Tam! I dunno about the leaves, but I agree the fruit is not Kadota-esque, especially on the interior. Whatever it is, it looks great!
Tam
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persianmd2orchad: Thank you for comments.
Best, Tam
Tam
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Hi! Everyone,
Does anyone have Green Ischia? Please let me know if the leaves and figs are the same as this Gota de Mel. Thank you.
Best, Tam
rafaelissimmo
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Hi Tam
That is not a Green Ischia, I will post a pic of leaves for you later. The Gota de Miel is one of the holy trinity of figs grown in Extremadura, Spain, the province of Caceres is the world's epicenter of Cuello de Dama commercial production, also heavily cultivated there are the Gota de Miel and the Calabacita fig, which is the finest dried fig I have tasted. They are just across the border from Portugal, where it is called Gota de Mel. I hope to go there soon! They seem to specilaize in exactly the figs you write about here!
Rafael
Tam
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Rafael: Thank you very much for the information.
Best, Tam
rafaelissimmo
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Hi Tam
Here is a nice Green Ischia leaf I just snapped off for you, the color has started to turn just a little bit as we have turned the corner to autumn. No fruit to show you, sorry. Hope this helps!
Rafael
Tam
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Hi! Everyone,
Does anyone have Battaglia Green? Please let me know if the leaves and figs are the same as this Gota de Mel. Thank you.
Best, Tam
DesertDance
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Thanks for your great presentation of an unknown fig! Looks delicious! Suzi
gorgi
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Scrolling, scrolling and yet more scrolling ....
Finally nice fruit!
Chrisware
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Great pics Tam.
Where is this growing? It's a nice size!
Tam
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Thanks everyone for watching.
The trees are in the ground in Southern Maryland, zone 7a.
Best, Tam
ascpete
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Tam, This tree has similar leaves and figs to the cultivar named Adriatic JH. Adriatic JH produces similar shaped multi-lobed, single leaves and figs. The attached link is to a discussion of the Adriatic JH with several pictures of the mother tree. The Adriatic JH also seems to produce multi lobed leaves on newer wood with reduced lobes on older wood, and the figs look similar.
This is one picture from that Topic by Joe H. the owner of the mother tree, more pictures were posted to the Topic. Good Luck.
Tam
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Pete: Thank you for your information about Adriatic JH. I have one Adriatic JH, but the leaf shapes are not the same. Does anyone have Battaglia Green? Please let me know if the leaves and figs are the same as this Gota de Mel. Thank you.
Best, Tam
Rewton
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Tam, I'll post some images of my Battaglia Green this evening but in the meantime I found a few pics of the leaves here:
The BG leaves shown in those images does seem to resemble some (but not the CddD-like) leaves you show above in this thread. With the two different leaf types it is going to be difficult to be really confident about an ID.
Tam
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Thanks Steve for the link.
Best, Tam
Herman2
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Your fig,has fruits that have the shape of Madeira Black,and Preto,and much different compared to Col de Dame . Fruits on Col de Dame are more elongated,and more turbinate compared to the fruits on your tree. The Madeira black/ Preto is a much better similarity. Of course it is white but it must be there are white fruiting specimens of this cultivar too. The leaves are variable,a little like Col de Dame ,a little like Madeira,i am not going to guess,looking at leaves. The fruits are onion like and that is similar to Madeira,Preto figs.
Tam
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Herman2: Thanks for your comments. Please let me know if this one is either JH Adriatic or Battaglia Green? Thank you Herman2.
Best, Tam
Rewton
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Tam, here are images of my young Battaglia Green. The leaves look a bit different from the BG leaves shown on the figs4fun variety page. Interestingly, many of the leaves on my plant have 5 lobes plus two "thumbs" that is similar to many of the leaves you show in this thread. I haven't yet had fruit off of mine but am pretty confident of my source who obtained his from Paradise Nursery when it was still in business.