Yesterday i did a hike along the banks of the river, not far from the abandoned trees of which i speak in the other topic, looking for good edible wild figs.
I walked just for a few hundred meters, at some points it is impossible to pass from one bank to the other, because the water is too deep, impenetrable vegetation, presence of livestock.
This is the typical habitat for wild figs, here they grow everywhere but only where the water is abundant they grow in large numbers: the only obstacle to their development is competition with other trees.
They grow between alders, willows, poplars, ash trees, tamarisk and oleander.

The river

Young fig plant

The canopy of a tall caprifig

It's difficult to find a good tasting wild fig.
There are some good looking ones, but often they are disappointing, like this black tasteless:



Or this other growing in the water, with fruits bitter as hell

Finally a tall and young tree has attracted my attention:



I looked at the fruits, and these were big, showing their red pulp

Then i tasted one and it was good! It's a new variety!
I gave some fruits to other people that was here for fishing and they found them delicious.



The taste is similar to Dottato and other white varieties, i suspect it's a Smyrna type, and now this new variety needs a name.

Fico, where in the world (approximately) was the new fig found?  Thanks.

I'm in Sardinia, the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
Sorry Rewton, i took for granted that everyone in the forum knows where i'm located.

Very nice!  It looks like a great place to visit sometime.  Cheers.

Oh, why do you suspect the new fig is a Smyrna type - is it possible the fig you found might be a common fig?

Thank you Steve,

there is much to see here, many archaeological site, spectacular nature, and obviously beaches, among the most beautiful.

I think it's a Smyrna because it's very likely for a wild fig, but it can be also a common.

That is so cool!  One of the great things about fig culture, it puts us in touch with the past and the future.  If only that fig could tell how it came to be there... It looks like a desirable fig, large, attractive color, apparently durable and vigorous.  I hope you report back and culture that fig..."Fico's Emerald Beauty"...or Sardinian Select?      To re-discover a fig from the past or one that has evolved under "wild" conditions is fantastic, and a number of great fruits have come to us in such ways.  Good luck with your pursuit of "wild figs", that really sounds like fun to me.  It will be a challenge to determine if in fact a new variety or a long lost and rediscovered variety from the past...Yes?

Do you ever see tortoises there? I imagine they would seek out fallen figs to eat.
Good luck and have fun, 

Vic Herrick
Hereford, AZ.  USA
Zone 8B

Thank you Claudio for sharing those great pictures
Nice fig you found there... The couple of branches you show are desperately pushing their way up searching the Sun!
Wonder what type it is... you may do a float/sink test (?)..

Francisco
Portugal

Awesome!!! really cool that you live in a fig haven!!!

Thanks for the very interesting fig adventure tour!

I wonder how it grows in Canada?

Love your countries scenery..:)

Tank you all!

Vic, here in Sardinia there are 3 tortoise species of the genus Testudo, in the rivers there is only the water turtle Emys orbicularis, but that species doesn't eat figs.

I've done the "water test", the seeds are fertile, but anyhow i have to say that it's difficult to find non pollinated figs here.

Complimenti, I'm in San Pietro Isle, and here situation of wild figs is dramatic. For Extreme dry. Frequently pollenizer do not arrived/died. And fruits are without fertile seeds this year.

Ciao!

Here too the situation is dramatic, not only for figs, also many cork oaks, wild olives and other mediterranean trees are dying of thirst (and these are very resistant to drought).

I can only imagine the drought in that island; maybe, if the Blastophaga extinguishes in the island can cross the sea and return, coming from S. Antioco or the Sulcis?

I do not move from the Isle.
In open space fruits of suffering plants are NOT fertilized, so meaning that there B. is extinct. In the past years they was. In wet sites few trees have fertile seeds. If in next years summers are more wet, the pollenizer should recolonize.