Ficus carica

common fig

The fig is thought to be native to the ancient region of Caria, an area of Asia Minor that is now part of southwest Turkey. Figs are likely the first cultivated plants in human history, predating wheat and barley by 1000 years. Remnants of figs were found in archeological excavations from the neolithic settlement of Gilgal I, eight miles north of ancient Jericho in modern-day Israel, dating back to 11,000 BCE. Researchers determined that these particular figs were from trees propagated by cuttings because they were not the insect-pollinated variety that have fertile seeds, therefore, they were planted by humans around this settlement far from their origin in Caria.

The fig is the first tree mentioned in the Bible in the story of Adam and Eve and biblical scholars debate on whether or not the fig was the forbidden fruit picked by Eve in the Garden of Eden, not the apple. Since antiquity, humans have spread figs worldwide, as the the trees are easily established and the nutritious fruits are highly portable when dried. The first trees in North America were planted in Mexico in 1560 by the Spanish and in 1577 made their way to South Carolina via Europe. Commercial fig culture was not possible until the tiny fig wasp that pollinates figs was imported to America in 1900.

The pollination of figs is one of the most bizarre and complex symbiotic events that has evolved over millions of years. The flowers of fig trees are borne on a specially adapted inflorescence called a syconium. It is a nearly closed, hollow receptacle lined on the inside with hundreds of tiny flowers (see diagram below). These flowers are pollinated by a minute female wasp who enters the syconium through a small opening at one end and lays her eggs in the ovaries of the female flowers, depositing the pollen on nearby flowers. Wingless male wasps are the first to emerge and they hurry to locate females within the other flowers before they hatch in order to mate with them. In some species of figs, the males then busy themselves with tunneling through the skin of the fig to the outside world to provide an escape route for their mates. Meanwhile, the gravid females hatch and collect pollen from the male flowers which they will carry with them to the next fig plant once they crawl through either the tunnel the males have excavated for them or through the ostiole (the natural opening). The males never leave the syconium, perishing in place. Think about that the next time you eat a fig - you’re getting a little extra protein! Don’t worry, however, as that extra crunchiness is from the seeds.

In some varieties of the common fig, the syconia only produce female flowers and male fig trees, called caprifigs, are needed for cross-pollination; without pollination the figs usually fall from the branches without ripening. There are parthenocarpic varieties, like the ones that were found in Neolithic excavations, in which the seedless syconia ripen without pollination.

During the late 1800s, fig growers in California finally figured out how to have their delicious Smyrna figs crops set fruit. They discovered that their cultivated female trees needed the pollen and fig wasp within the wild caprifigs. Every year, wasp-bearing flowering caprifig branches are placed in the fig orchards to facilitate artificial pollination. This ancient process is called caprification and results in the figs having a superior nutty flavor and crunchy texture imparted by the minute seeds within.

There are three other Ficus species in the Gardens that represent the diversity of the genus include the creeping fig (F. pumila), a vine whose small leaves form a dense carpet of foliage up the trunk of the fan palm just inside the carved entrance gate, the mistletoe fig (F. deltoidea), a true epiphyte located on the mahogany tree outside the Lychee suite, and the Green Island ficus (F. microcarpa) which is pruned as a short hedge throughout the property. Common species growing in south Florida include the famous banyan trees (F. benghalensis), native strangler figs (F. aurea), and the weeping fig (F. benjamina), also a common houseplant.

Even though figs originated in the Mediterranean basin, there are now over 700 varieties. Some varieties are specialized for more northern regions and are easily adapted to cold weather by winterizing, a technique brought to the US by Italian immigrants. These varieties are often grown as bushes or small trees that can be pruned and wrapped in newspaper, straw, and burlap. Alternatively, you may dig a mulching ditch, loosen the soil around the roots to prune the root ball, and tip the entire tree over into the ditch, covering it with 12 inches of soil, mulch, or compost before the first freeze. In the spring they are unwrapped or dug up and will resprout, bearing a new crop in the summer. Most varieties of fig trees produce two crops, a spring breba crop on last season’s growth, and a summer or fall, main crop on new wood. Figs must be allowed to fully ripen on the branch before they are picked and eaten fresh; dried figs will keep for months.

In warmer regions and depending on the variety of fig, fresh figs may be eaten, skin and all, directly off the tree. Figs with tough outer skins may be peeled before eating. The fruits may be used in various ways such as puddings, cakes, ice cream, jam, paste (used in Fig Newtons), and candied. They can also be made into an alcoholic beverage or alcohol extract used in flavoring tobacco and liqueurs. Dried figs have been roasted and ground as a coffee substitute.

"Fig-leaf absolute" is derived from the leaves and is a source of perfume material for a woodland scent in perfumes and candles. Fig oil is edible and may be used in personal body care products for skin and hair. Although the latex can be irritating to the skin and cause dermatitis, it is purportedly employed in washing dishes, pots and pans in tropical America and was an ingredient in early commercial detergents. It can also be powdered and used to coagulate milk, and make cheese while the protein-digesting enzyme ficin is used to tenderize meat, render fat, and clarify beverages. There are many medicinal folk remedies based on the latex and fruits but their best known use is for relieving constipation. As mentioned above, the latex from any part of the tree and unripe fruits can be severely irritating to the skin causing a rash much like poison ivy.