You know this one !
They are not yet in shape for 'pulp shows', so I have included the pic of last season
Fearing the birds to get to the best figs before I do,  decided to let you have first hand the pics of the VIOLETAS as they are today.

In three or four days, may be more I will let you have pictures of the well ripen figs

Francisco

Looking good! Can't wait to see the final product.

Looking forward to you pictures as last season black madeira were best on palate here.

francisco magnificent photos thank you so much!

speechless

Beautiful!  Those figs cut in half really make me want that tree in my yard.

I'm drooling! BEAUTIFUL!!!
I had no idea these were known by so many names. But there you use Violeta, Francisco?

Great pics Francisco!
If all goes well my Preto should give me at least a small sample but I bet no where close to what yours will taste like in your ideal climate.

Thanks for the photos.

I got Preto this past year and there are small fruits on them. I'm really looking forward to tasting them. So many of my fruits are being stolen by critters, but this is one I'm going to enclose in wire.

Gorgeous. Preto was my favorite last season.

Those figs look delicious .

The stalk of fruit looks thick and juicy too which i like.
nice set of presenting pictures thanks.

Dear Fellows,

On behalf of VIOLETA thank you very much for your kind appreciations of this wonderful fruit.
I promise to complement this set with more 'cut in halves', smashes, etc.. at various angles and shades.

Last year Violetas were good in every respect but, size.
Being absent I could not pick the figs early enough.

On the contrary, this season they are Bigger!! and I think I know why  (you may also  have a little suspicion)

Exceptional rains through dormancy and Spring, not heavy, but just enough and very well diluted in time are a major contributor for these nice figs,.....plus the fact that a conspicuous neighbor of this Violeta is a young and robust Caprifig, very prolific this year and to which climate was, shall I say ideal.

I know you probably do not welcome my mentioning of this (infamous!?) tree, but I do have a lot of respect for it as it is the father of ALL our edible figs, and it has been a good father not well understood even today.

Tami, yes Violeta is its ancient name and in the local Western counties it is also called San Vicente. Preto is the name it is known in the islands (Madeira), after the first settlers took it to the inhabited land in the early 15th century. Later, emigrants from the Islands may have taken it to America where the Black Madeira name was adopted.

Toni, Gina
Like you I have also rooted Preto sticks I got from Madeira this past winter. I need to see how they grow and establish in this climate. I believe that fellows in the Central Valley (CAL) could well grow BM up to ideal standards of size, flavor, taste, etc..
These cultivars do need heat and Sun and these two ingredients have a lot to do with size and flavors

Eli, Thank you.
In fact on this variety the stalk/neck arrangement is unique. Meaty and much in evidence in smaller figs!

Good luck with your Black Madeira's Violetas, San Vicente...and show us pictures as well

Francisco

francisco,

currently have 3 Black Madeira (one of them will be up for F4FF auction soom and it has figs on them) and 1 Figo Preto growing out in the back.  i haven't seen the ripe figs to tell if they are same or not. but i have heard they are very similar if not the same. they both seems to grow rather nicely down here. with some luck, i should be able to tell what they are like by end of this month :)

as always, your pictures are wonderful.

Francisco,
nice pictures,I have a young B.Madeira send to me by a generous friend,hope it will fruit for me in upstate n.y.Ciao,
Giuseppe

Nice photos Francisco.  The fruit from your Violeta looks exactly like Black Madeira.  Do you have problems with insects getting into the eye of your Violeta fruit?  Here in Arizona, USA the insects love to go into the Black Madeira figs.  If they get into the fruit before the honey forms in the eye they will spoil the fruit.  But if the honey forms first they cannot get in and do any damage.  On my tree I am getting insects in about 2/3 of the fruit, but about 1/3 is not affected.

I am hoping that my Black Madeira is producing ripe figs by early September, it has really been growing well this year but air layers seem next to impossible on it, hopefully the last one takes, I hope to compare your Violeta with my BM, although this has been a cool summer so the flavour may not be as good as it could be.

Thank you all for looking at those pictures and commenting on this variety.

I understand and accept that there may be questions on the veracity of my statements strongly linking Violeta and Black Madeira.
If that was feasible and acceptable price wise I would volunteer for a DNA test or some other laboratorial manipulation with material from both plants to access exactly how related they are.

Pete, Violeta is a robust cultivar and I am certain that it will fruit for you in your environment. Let's see what comes out when yours ripe.

Giuseppe,  As I said to Pete, it will give you some figs if you are patient and wait until the young tree settles its development, keeping it well looked after. My understanding is that other members, further North do manage to get nice BM figs, sweet and flavored.

FrozenJoe,  So far very minor fruit damage caused by insects, no more than with all other cultivars. As you say the honey tear acts as a closed door to intruders.

James, Good luck with your BM's and look forward to your comparisons.

Francisco

I'll take three dozen!
Someone needs to invent taste-o-cameras and taste-o-photos...

Here is a picture of my BM I took a couple weeks ago, it's three years old, showing a lot of spotted leaves now, for some reason most of my trees are showing it this year, I may have been watering too much though or my fish fertilizer is not strong enough or has too much ammonia in it, you can see some details of the leaves, which I will take better pictures of later on when there is ripe figs, if Violeta is not the same as this, I would hazard a guess that it is possible to be related.

chivas, lot of my trees are like that this yr also. no idea why they are doing that. i haven't changed much this yr.. other than fast acting lime and i had to flush out the soil number of times. it might also have to do with ton of rain we are having down here this yr. too humid maybe? i got some espoma iron tone to see if that has any benefit on leaf coloring. 

Chivas,

Most of my plants have the same leaf issue. I've wondered what might cause that.

Hello Francisco.
O MY GOODNESS THEY LOOK YUMMY.  So the three names is actually one fig ?
I thing I bot Black Madeira fig cuttings from You ! didn't I ?
Did you send Black Madeira to British Columbia, Canada in March 2013 ?

Francisco, thanks for the photos and for the thoughts on the varieties.

Moonlight,

No, no, think you are confused !
I did read the forum on the exchange of messages at the time. You may have bought the BM cuttings from another person with similar name.
I do not sell any plsnt msterial.


Harvey, you are welcome

Thank you

Francisco

I'm late. I missed this thread so I'll just ask.
Is the Violetta fig that can be purchased here
http://www.burntridgenursery.com/prodinfo.asp?number=NSFIVTA
the same as the very popular and reportedly amazingly delicious, expensive/elusive/ finiky Black Madeira that everyone tries to have in their collection?