Fig Varieties: A Monograph - uri=ucce.ucdavis

396 Hilgardia
[Vol. 23, No. 11
This variety, first described by Cupani as Ficus liparensis, is regarded by various
authors as bearing the smallest fruit of any fig commonly grown in France. Blanquetto,
which Duhamel gave as a name used in Provence, should not be confused with Blanche
or Blanquette, a larger fig cultivated near Paris. The description by Lamarck is almost
identical with that of Rozier; he added that the body of the fruit resembles that of a
mushroom. The name Bouton du Guêtre, or “button of the gaiter,” is also indicative of
the shape of the fruit. Hogg—followed by Eisen (1901)—is one of the few English
authors who give an account of Lipari. If it was ever introduced into California it
certainly did not become established under this name, and no records are available of
any plantings.
Brebas apparently none. Second-crop figs very small, 1/2 inch to nearly 3/4 inch in
diameter, oblate, ribbed; eye open; color green; bloom thin; pulp pale rose; texture dry,
coarse. Flavor sweet and quality good in a warm climate, according to Eisen; but Hogg
reported it “not at all well flavored.”
Lucano. Described and figured by Baldini (1953) from the Firenze district of Italy.
Tree vigorous, erect; terminal buds brown; one crop only.
Leaves mostly 3-lobed, the middle lobe spatulate, narrow; lateral sinuses deep; base
truncate; margin crenate.
Figs pyriform, with short neck; stalk also short; eye open, with yellowish bracts;
color citron yellow; pulp of fine texture, hollow, almost seedless, brown in color; flavor
sweet and agreeable. Fruits consumed fresh, but also suitable for drying.
Marquês (syn. Ponte da Quarteria). Described and illustrated by Bobone (1932);
known as Marques at Lagos, and as Ponte da Quarteria at Loulé. Second-crop figs
medium, oblate-spherical, yellowish green; pulp red; texture coarse; flavor agreeable;
quality fair.
Marseillaise (syns. Athènes, Figue de Marseilles, Petite Marseillaise, Ficus carica
massiliensis Risso). Described by Tournefort (1700), Garidel (1715), La Brousse (1774),
Bernard (1787), Rozier (1805), Mirbel (1806); Duhamel (1809, with illustration), Bory de
Saint Vincent (1824), Lamarck (1817), Risso (1826), Duchartre (1857), Hogg (1866), Du
Breuil (1876), Soc. Pomol. de France (1887), Sauvaigo (1889, 1894), Eisen (1888, 1901),
Trabut (1904), Rolet (1916), Mazières (1920), Sanchez (1922), Bois (1928), Blin (1942),
Simonet et al. (1945, with illustrations), and Evreinoff (1947). The descriptions of this
variety by Tournefort, and by several later authors, definitely refer to the interior of
this fig as rosy or red, a character which differentiates it from Marseillaise White,
described by Eisen (1901). Sauvaigo treated it as Marseillaise or Figue d’Athènes, and
that is regarded here as the correct synonymy. See Rolland (1914) for synonyms. It is
properly described by Hogg, but apparently was ignored by other English authors.
Marseillaise, though small, is reported to be one of the best figs for drying in
Provence. It has probably been introduced into California; if so, records are lacking as
to its distribution. P.I. No.102,017, received at Riverside in 1933 from Morocco as
Marseillaise, may be that variety; however, it produced small, brownish, and worthless
figs, identical with Grassale, P.I. No.18,883.