Having lost my Violeta (in ground) , have asked my good friend Jeremiah permission to take a few pictures and to show his Violeta figs.  This tree will be 10 year old next spring.

Violeta is the direct ancestor of the varieties - Preto, Black Madeira, Bricoriña, São Vicente, etc..


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Francisco
Portugal

Yummy

Very very nice Francisco and Jeremiah.thanks for sharing. How is it different from Preto and BM?

Very very nice,Thanks Lampo!I wish I could have this variety。

Thanks for posting the beautiful photos.  To expand on Chris' question, do you think Figo Preto and Black Madeira are clones of Violeta or was Violeta a parent in a cross with some other related fig thus giving rise to FP/BM as progeny?

Great fig!
Violeta would justify me building a greenhouse..LOL 

Fantastic tree and fruits Fransisco!
A truly amazing variety wich could ripe very well in Tunisia..
Did you see the video about "Bouhouli" variety in my post?

Jamel.

When I see Violeta ,fruit,and leaf,I see Madeira Black,Italian 258,and Preto
The difference between them(because there is a difference),is not,genetic,but it is ,created by external sources,in case of fig tree:Diseases,and viruses
Give me a healthy specimen of any of the above and i got all of them.!
There is another difference ,which is important to some people:Place of origin!
Some come from Portugal ,some come from Italy,some come from Greece,some come from Spain,some come from Lebanon,etc,and that,specific place where the cuttings came from, is important to some people.
Another difference is the size,of fruit:Diseased specimen,of same fig kind,makes fruits as small as  7 grams,while healthy specimen make fruits as large as  to weigh up to 50 grams or more.

That looks familiar! Beautiful fruit-one of the best no doubt.

I sure hope that my baby Violeta grows up to look like that, Francisco. Thank you for sharing once again, beautiful photos!  

It really is a beautiful fig, Francisco.

I can't wait for the opportunity to add this fig to my collection.

Herman2,

I too believe that external influences can change the expression of a fig cultivar. I see it in a local old variety of black fig with an excellent taste. I have several trees (some are more than 50 years old) in different locations and the taste and size of the fig changes quite a bit. You can even see slight differences in individual figs from tree to tree, to the point people could mistake them for different varieties on side to side photos (i will post some pictures in another topic when they are ripe).

Nevertheless, propagated by cuttings the genetics of Violeta should have kept almost unchanged throughout the years, when it went to Madeira Island and afterwards to USA and other places. Although with hundreds of years of propagation there is always the possibility of slight mutations appearing even in an asexual cell multiplication process.

On behalf of Jeremiah, let me thank you all for commenting and being sympathetic to this nice and delicious fruit

On another recent topic about the Côtio variety - Ripening and drying on the tree - I wrote:

-Ttogether with Violeta and some other varieties Côtia trees  were taken in the XV century to the new territories of Madeira - Açores and the Canary Islands and are still grown there under various names.

-----------------------------

In the main island of Madeira, Violeta got the name of Preto or Figo Preto and was extensively cultivated particularly along the north coast but over the years it has been gradually uprooted and replaced by more profitable crops. They still grow it there but in a much smaller scale..
There is  evidence that on the early 1950's, emigrants from Madeira rooted scions of this Figo Preto in California (near San Diego)  and the resulting trees changed name again to Black Madeira.
IMO Violeta, Figo Preto (or just Preto), and Black Madeira are all the same cultivar.

Jamel,
Yes I saw the video and it was very nice. Thank you very much
You are right!  ,  Violeta could be grown in Tunisia, particularly in the Djebba district side by side with Bouhouli and Zidi ... and give you figs as good as the ones on the above pictures or even better !
Get me a few cuttings of Bouhouli and Ajenjar and I will arrange a few sticks of Violeta and another good one for you to try .

Vinny
On my lost Violeta...
It's a sad story  The plot was part property of a heritage and I could not put up the big sum to avoid seeing it integrated on a neighboring citrus complex desperate for more acreage..
But in good time  I took enough sticks and air layers for friends and myself

Winter does not kill any figs in my place.. Sun always shines...never seen snow here and temperatures
do not drop bellow 40/45ºF

Francisco
Portugal

Gary,
Congratulations
You have a very nice, healthy and robust Violeta!
Would you expect it to ripe any figs thia season ??

Jaime,
Thank you for your nice comments
Your young Violeta is right there looking at me !


Francisco
Portugal

Thanks, Francisco. You're spectacular.

I have just up potted your Inchário Branco to a 50 liters container  (its behind a big leaf from my Sbayi on the right to protect him from the sun and help ease the change) and it is doing just fine:
 

A better photo (update):
 

Branco especial and Bomfim will be next (they are a bit smaller but doing fine also).

You have to send me a photo of the little tree so i can get acquainted with her  :-)
Just kidding...

Thank you, Francisco. No, I don't think I'll get any to ripen until next year. I will be looking forward to Violeta and Lampeira Preta's first figs. I am enjoying my Black Madeiras now, and Preto will be soon. My climate is good, but not as kind as yours.

Very nice, Francisco.  Look forward to seeing your fruits as well, Gary!  Next year's gathering??? :)

At your place, Harvey??

Nice fruit Violeta

Lovely photos thanks for posting them Francisco and thanks to Jeremiah for allowing you to take the pics.

compared to my preto tree i honestly believe they are infact the same fig.

Nelson

Thank you for taking your time to see and comment on this topic

Harvey, Nelson,...

Our roots have always been somehow associated to this small tree no matter Geography and  its repetitive baptisms and re-baptisms. Its shape, profiles, colors and flavors are unique.  From its infancy still shining green,  very few chances for errors on its correct identification. It 'says' - here I am !.
If mankind ever leaves the Planet with a seeding project anywhere in the outer space,  scions of this  fig should go with the first planters
Being a Common, things would be simplified .. (the wasp would stay home)!
Best Health to All of you



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Francisco
Portugal

Francisco, thank you for sharing your knowledge. I've learned so much from your posts and others here on the forum. On the matter at hand, given that Violeta, Black Madeira, Figo Preto, and Côte are the same cultivar and differences arise from mutation, epigenetics, and environmental variation, how do they rank among each other, in regards to taste, in your environment?

Dan,
Thank you for your comments.
I cannot reply to your question entirely . I only managed to root a couple of Preto scions I got from Madeira Island some 3 years ago and found no particular difference to Violeta
Believe these figs to be genetically  similar with slight deviations originated by their environment and diverse cultivation practices.. their flavors and physical profiles are the same.. Preto is probably a smaller fruit

Violeta was born and it's cultivated on the southern coastal plains of Portugal, ,lime  rich soils
A very hot and dry environment with lots of sun and SE dusty winds blowing from the Sahara across the Strait.

Preto grows on the North coast of Madeira, mostly volcanic soils continuously blown by the humid eastern trade winds and breathing sea spray from the heavy swell braking against the high cliffs

Never managed to root any Black Madeira but I am convinced that it will be a similar fruit

Correction . - I believe there was some misinterpretation regarding Côte, a white Common also popular in Madeira Islands
This is a different fig ..
I may have said that like Violeta it was also taken centuries ago from southern Portugal to the archipelagos of Madeira, Azores and Canaries

Francisco
Portugal