Fig Varieties: A Monograph - uri=ucce.ucdavis

February, 1955] Condit: Fig Varieties
453
Brebas few, medium, pyriform; neck short; average weight 50 grams; ribs not
prominent; stalk short; eye small, with violet scales; color violet, merging into green
toward the stalk; skin checking lengthwise at maturity; pulp red, of sweet flavor and
fine texture; seeds numerous, small; quality good.
Second crop abundant; figs medium, pyriform to turbinate; neck short, or none;
average weight 40 grams; ribs not much in evidence; stalk short; eye in a slight
depression, small, with violet scales; skin delicate, checking crisscross at maturity; color
dark violet; bloom prominent, pruinose; pulp dark red; seeds small. Quality good for
fresh-fruit shipments.
Mourenao (syns. Bagassa, Ficus carica mourenao Risso). Described by Bernard
(1787), Duhamel (1809), Risso (1826), Noisette (1829), Couverchel (1839), Sauvaigo
(1889), and Eisen (1901). See Rolland (1914) for synonymy. Illustrated in color by
Duhamel. According to Risso, Mourenao is known as Bagassa in the vicinity of
Villefranche. Most descriptions follow closely that of Risso.
The figs are small, globular; skin thick, checking crisscross, violet-black in color; the
pulp is white, according to Bernard and Duhamel, red, according to Risso and Eisen;
quality mediocre.
Museau de Lièvre. Described and illustrated by Starnes and Monroe (1907) as a
French fig of medium size, oblique-turbinate, with prominent ribs, violet-brown skin,
and light-rose pulp; a shy producer. The application of the name, “rabbit’s nose,” is not
clear.
Nain. Briefly described by Merlet (1667) as a violet fig with red pulp; same account
given by Ballon (1692), Langley (1728), and Bradley (1757). Knoop (1771), however,
reported that Dodonaeus, Lobel, Dalechamp, and other ancient authors mentioned
Figuier Nain; but later writers were of the opinion that this dwarf fig was simply a tree,
poorly nourished, as if grown in a pot.
Napolitaine (syns. Napolitano, Neapolitan). Described by Audibert Frères (1854),
Duchartre (1857), Du Breuil (1876), Soc. Pomol. de France (1887, 1947), Eisen (1888,
1901), Trabut (1904), Mazières (1920), Sanchez (1922), and Blin (1942). This is probably
the same as Napolitano, described and figured by Pasquale (1876), and distributed in
France under the name Napolitaine. Eisen (1888) ventured the opinion that it was
identical with Troiano, so widely grown and highly regarded at Naples. Troiano,
however, produces no first crop, or only a scanty one, while Napolitaine is described as
productive of two crops in southern France.
The tree is said to be vigorous, and very productive. The following description is
after that of Société Pomologique de France.
Brebas large; elongated-oval; color green, suffused with violet-bronze; pulp red;
quality fair.
Second-crop figs medium, turbinate; skin color same as brebas; pulp red, sweet;
quality very good.
Negrette (syns. Negretta, Rock Fig, Ficus carica nigra Risso). Described by Risso
(1826, probably), Sauvaigo (1889), Eisen (1888, 1901), and Simonet et al. (1945); the last
with an outline drawing of the fruit. Negrette is confused with Negronne. Risso
described a variety as F. carica nigra, or “black fig,” and referred to previous