Much confusion exists in the naming of fig varieties. They were first
introduced by the early French and Spanish settlers, and there have been
more or less frequent importations since. Trees from these various
sources have been known under many local names, and it is probable that
there are now many more names recorded than we have varieties in
cultivation. On the other hand, distinct varieties are often met with
that can not be named from published descriptions. In Louisiana and
Mississippi it is safe to say that nine-tenths of all the figs grown are
of the Celeste variety. This is sometimes written Celestial, but among
growers it is uniformly known as Celeste. The tree is hardy and very
fruitful. The fruit is small, but it is one of the best in quality. When
ripe it is a light yellowish brown, tinged with violet. The flesh is
light red, delicate in texture, and very sweet and rich. A number of
other varieties occur, but they are known under local names, such as
“black fig” or “Spanish fig.” More attention has been paid to
nomenclature and to the planting of different varieties in other parts
of the South, but the Celeste is the favorite in nearly all localities.
Some interesting papers on figs were read at the meeting of the American
Pomological Society, held in Florida in 1889, and in the published
proceedings of the meeting the following 18 varieties are catalogued
among the fruits recommended by the society.
_List of figs recommended by American Pomological Society._
Alicante; Angelique—synonym, _Jaune Hative_; Brunswick; Blue Genoa;
Black Ischia; Brown Smyrna; Celeste; Green Ischia—synonyms, _White
Ischia_, _Green Italian_; Lemon; Violet, Long; Violet, Round; Nerii;
Pregussata; White Adriatic; White Marseillaise; White Genoa; Superfine
de la Sausaye; Turkey—synonym, _Brown Turkey_.
On comparing this list with 11 others furnished by nurserymen and
writers on the fig, and taken at random from Texas, Louisiana, Georgia,
and Florida sources, we find 14 of these names occurring more or less
frequently. Four are not mentioned at all, while 13 additional names
appear, making a total of 31 varieties in the 12 lists. Celeste and
Brown Turkey lead, being mentioned 11 times each; Adriatic, Lemon, and
Brunswick come next, each occurring 8 times. White Marseillaise is
mentioned 7 times; White Genoa and Green Ischia, 6 times; Black Ischia,
5 times; and San Pedro, which is not in the American Pomological
Society’s list, occurs 4 times. We may perhaps conclude that these 10
varieties are the most generally grown in the South, but some of them
are to be considered as nurserymen’s recent introductions from
California, rather than as varieties in general use. They are
characterized in the Pomological Society’s list as follows:
────────────────────┬──────────────┬────────────┬─────────┬────────────
Variety. │ Season. │ Color. │Quality. │ Size.
────────────────────┼──────────────┼────────────┼─────────┼────────────
Brunswick │Early │Violet │First │Very large.
Black Ischia │Medium │Black │ do │Medium.
Celestial [Celeste] │Early │Pale violet │ do │Small.
Green Ischia │ do │Green │ do │Medium.
Lemon │ do │Yellow │ do │ Do.
White Adriatic │ │ │ │
White Marseillaise │Medium │White │Second │Medium.
White Genoa │ do │ do │ do │Large.
Turkey │Early to late │Brown │First │ Do.
San Pedro │Not mentioned │ │ │
────────────────────┴──────────────┴────────────┴─────────┴────────────
Other lists agree in describing both White Adriatic and San Pedro as
very large white figs of the best quality and very desirable where they
succeed, but as being tender and nonfruitful in many locations. Celeste,
Brown Turkey, and Brunswick are more uniformly commended for hardiness,
fruitfulness, and general utility than any others.[5]
Footnote 5:
The canning factories greatly prefer the Celeste, paying one-fourth
more for them than for larger, coarser kinds.