I'm new to figs and have a question and I could use some help understanding.

My brother lives in La Mesa and has a fig tree that is at least a decade old but he did not plant. He has lived at the same house over 25 years and this was a volunteer. He calls it Black Mission, which may very well be, but I have read that edible figs cannot be started from seed or at least are not true to type. I have not seen his figs nor the tree as I live a distance away.  He obviously has compared it to a BM and believes that is what it is, but that is a gross observation as he knows less than me about figs ;)

I will try and get pictures from him when he is back at home (he spends a lot of time in LA). The tree is productive with loads of edible figs. 

I understand that type cannot be determined here without pictures. So my question is, what is the likelihood that this is a true type of any variety considering how it came to be (from seed)? 

It is possible I am just not understanding the whole fig seed thing.

Thanks y'all.

There is zero chance it will be genetically identical to the mother tree. There is a slim chance it will be worth eating. 

That's the confusing part. It is a very wonderful fig -- I haven't had it for years, but my brother always supplies many to my fig-loving mother nearby. I thought that any seed fig wouldn't be worth eating, but I guess I'm understanding that a good tasting fig from seed is rare, but possible.

The chances of producing an edible and delicious fig plant from seed are exceedingly small.... That said.... it is exceedingly unlikely for a person to plant sufficient seeds that will germinate to produce even a single edible and delicious fig.... but.... mother nature doesn't operate under such constraints..... Think California and the millions upon millions upon millions of figs that get caprified... Each fig having how many seeds? Now the numbers are in the billions and billions of seeds.  Take a very small percentage of random events and apply them to billions and billions of instances and some will come up.... New edible and delicious fig varieties are produced by nature... likely many more than are ever discovered and cloned via human propagation.... Another example.... Think planets in a solar system... Think solar systems in a galaxy... think how many million upon millions of galaxies that may exist in the universe. The numbers are mind boggling and really beyond human comprehension. Now take an infinitely small percentage of all of the possible planets that are out there and that could possible host life as we recognize it. The actual numbers that result as possible planetary hosts for life are themselves astounding based on sheer numbers overall. Take another small slice of those that could host intelligent life (regardless of being a Democrat or a Republican) and you still have a large number of possible planetary hosts for intelligent life....  Numbers of instances on some scale make even the seemingly impossible become very possible when viewed that way....

I have tasted  good flavoured figs from trees grown in the wild by seed.

I believe that is how breeding programs work. They plant 100s of caprified seeds based on careful pollination and then see what they get.

This all makes very good sense . . . and, thank you everyone :)

I would be interested in seeing if I could root some cuttings if they are available this winter.

Ficusmaximus, I pm'd you ;)