North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

Title: Re: [NAFEX] figs from seed

The snag is that the only figs that produce viable seeds are the types that need caprification - pollination by male figs via the wasp that does the job. That means figs like Calmyrna and Smyrna, which are the two main types available.  The types usually grown by home growers are so-called "common" figs which don't require pollination, but don't set viable seed, either.  You can get this type from the caprified figs, but there usually aren't many and they aren't always very good.  "Advances in Fruit Breeding" edited by J. N. Moore has a good section on the subject.
Most of the time the fig seeds will give male and female figs, but very few of the "common" types.  

    
-Lon Rombough
>

> Has anyone on this list grown seedling figs and ended up with fruit that is good quality.  I have read that the odds of getting anything edible at all is pretty low, but I would like to hear from someone that has actually tried it.  I know that there are a few varieties out there that resulted from immigrants planting seeds of figs they brought back from the ³old country². 
>
> -Mark Lee, Seattle