To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [NAFEX] invasive figs?
Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2005 08:57:24 -0800
I have just read Invasive Plants, Weeds of the Global Garden, by the
Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The title is a bit grander than the
content, which is about North America, with about half of the plants
mentioned causing problems only in Florida.
California has a few problems, too, though, including Ficus carica,
the edible fig. According to John M. Randall of the Nature
Conservancy, Davis, California, it has invaded riparian habitats
including streamsides and canal banks in the Central Valley, the
south coast and the Channel Islands.
From what I remember from reading, only wild figs have viable seeds,
and they require a specialized wasp to fertilize them. The figs we
grow in North America are ones that produce fruit without the wasp,
and without viable seeds.
Am I incorrect? Could I remove the seeds from my figs and grow them?
--
Diane Whitehead Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
maritime zone 8
cool mediterranean climate (dry summer, rainy winter - 68 cm annually)
sandy soil