Purple, Brown, or Black Figs

The sweet dark figs of Mission are the number one favorite for drying. Mission is one of the most widely grown figs in California producing heavy crops of medium to large dark purplish-black pear-shaped fruit with a rich, sweet strawberry red pulp. Good fresh or preserved. Black Mission is self-pollinating and may produce a light breba crop. A good choice for the South as well. The small eye makes it resistant to spoiling. Item # 832.

 

Brown Turkey is the ultimate Southern fig producing large crops of medium to large, brown to maroon, turbinate figs over a long season that begins in June. The flesh is strawberry red and is sweet with good flavor. The Texas Everbearing fig is also known as Brown Turkey fig.  This is probably the most reliable and commonly grown fig in Southern regions but it is the standard bearer for hardiness tolerating the climate of zone 5. It is known to fruit if frozen to the ground as well. Resistant to spoiling and splitting and good fresh, dried, or preserved. Self pollinating and with a small but open eye. Item# 920.

Celeste is the standard by which all other figs are judged on sweetness and flavor. If you've ever eaten one you know why it is also called the Honey or Sugar fig. It produces small to medium sized pear shaped violet to light violet fruit with red pulp and white to amber flesh. Very reliable for the South and Southeastern US and excellent cold tolerance. Small productive and hardy trees for the home orchard. Item# 355

Chicago Hardy produces large crops of medium to small nearly black to brown or violet, pear shaped to turbinate figs with amber to strawberry flesh with a rich sweet flavor. Very similar to Brown Turkey. The eye is small minimizing spoilage. Hardy Chicago was found growing in the Chicago, Illinois area although it may have originated in Sicily, Italy. It has exceptional cold hardiness and is known to fruit in the same season even if frozen to the ground. Item# 9546.

Florea is an early ripening type said to be  a cold hardy fig,  a great choice for colder climates with short seasons. It is a brown to purple fig with an amber interior. Item# 11065

How can you improve on Celeste, the Honey fig? Well here you go, Improved Celeste produces good crops of very sweet, small to medium sized light violet to violet-brown fruit with reddish amber flesh. It may produce a light breba crop but the main crop produces a large yield of delicious fruit. The tightly closed eye makes it resistant to spoiling and so it is a good choice for the Southeast. Ripens with Celeste in June. A small productive and hardy tree. Item# 9033.

How can you improve on Celeste, the Honey fig? Well here you go, Improved Celeste produces good crops of very sweet, small to medium sized light violet to violet-brown fruit with reddish amber flesh. It may produce a light breba crop but the main crop produces a large yield of delicious fruit. The tightly closed eye makes it resistant to spoiling and so it is a good choice for the Southeast. Ripens with Celeste in June. A small productive and hardy tree. Item# 11224.

The Ischia Black fig produces a good crop of medium to small, pear shaped to turbinate, black figs with a noticeable blue bloom and ribs. The rich sweet flesh is dark strawberry to purplish red and are excellent fresh or dried and likely preserved as well. It is a vigorous tree that often bears a breba crop. Ischia Black, often Black Ischia or Blue Ischia, has an open eye and is probably best suited for coastal California and not so much for the southeastern regions of the US. Item# 9971.

Developed at LSU by Dr. Ed O'Rourke and company for fig production in the hot humid South, LSU Gold produces large flattened green figs that ripen to greenish yellow, yellow, or yellow blushed with red. The flesh is pink to amber and is very sweet with excellent flavor. The open eye of LSU Gold is typically filled with honeydew making it fairly resistant to souring and it is also split resistant. Produces a good breba crop and is very productive and vigorous. One of John's top 3 favorites.Item# 831. 

LSU Purple produces medium sized dark reddish-purple, generally pear shaped figs with amber to strawberry pulp with a mild sweet flavor. Developed by Dr. Ed O'Rourke at LSU for disease and nematode resistance as well as the hot and humid Southern climate, it produces a breba crop and a large main crop providing fruit over a long season. Item # 921. 

Imagine Celeste on steroids as Mega Celeste produces medium to large figs with a flavor nearly as rich and sweet as its namesake. The large pear shaped to turbinate figs have a dark violet skin with white flesh and a dark purplish-red pulp. The eye is small but open and the figs are resistant to spoiling and splitting. Mega Celeste is known to produce a breba crop. This is a likely, but as of yet unconfirmed, unofficial LSU release from Dr. O'Rourke's breeding program. Item# 9918.

The rich, sweet acidic flavor of Negronne is delectable and nearly unmistakable. It produces small to medium sized, dark purplish black, pear shaped to turbinate figs with a deep red pulp and amber flesh. The small eye is closed making it resistant to spoiling and splitting. The ripe fruit is superb fresh but can be dried or preserved as well. Negronne may produce a breba crop in mild climates and is an excellent choice for all fig growing regions with excellent cold hardiness. The dwarf habit makes it a good choice for container culture as well. Item# 9906

The fruit of Petite Negri, which translates to the little black fig, is anything but little as it produces large to medium sized black to dark purple fruit with amber flesh and strawberry to purple pulp with excellent flavor. The Petite side is that this is a dwarf tree that is a good choice for containers and it is known to produce fruit even at a very young age. Item# 9293.

Violette De Bordeaux, the dark purple form of Bordeaux, produces medium sized purple fruit with dark purplish-red flesh. The tree is dwarf and compact making it suitable for containers and is one the more cold hardy varieties tolerating zone 6 winters. Violette De Bordeaux is considered to be the same as Negronne according to Dr. Ira Condit's Figs: A Monograph. Item# 11127