Fig Form Descriptions

Fig shapes are one of the ways we describe fig varieties. As with other descriptions, shape is a generalization. What may be “typical” is not always the case for any given variety. I’ve witnessed over the years that fig form can change on the same tree: from year to year, throughout different weather in the same season, and even from branch to branch at the same time. That being said, words can be helpful to communicate fig characteristics, when images and videos are not available. This is especially true when reading older texts, before modern, high-quality printing and the internet were invented. As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Ira J. Condit describes fig shapes on page 60 (digital page 78) in his book, The Fig. He draws particular attention to the neck as an important differentiator. We will build upon his work with modern color images and include some additional terminology used to describe fig shapes.

Spherical Fig Form

“Round”, “ball-shaped”, “globular”, “globose”.

Spherical Without A Neck

Condit gives Marseilles as an example. We will use Izbat an Naj for our’s.

Spherical With A Neck

In this case, Condit uses Martinique as an example. For our example, we will use De la Caseta.

Oblate Fig Shape

A “flattened ball” shape. Very “squat”. Wider than long.

Oblate Without A Neck

San Pedro is the example that Condit uses, which is just another name for California Brown Turkey. We are going to use the 5 Points variety for our example.

Oblate With A Neck

Condit uses the obscure variety name, Lob Injir, as an example. This variety actually goes by the modern name of Calimyrna in the US. We will use LSU Gold as our example.

Turbinate Fig Form

Sometimes described as a “spinning top” or “cone”.

Turbinate With A Neck

Bourjasotte Grise is the example given by Condit. We will use the same.

Turbinate Without A Neck

Condit used Brunswick for his example, which is a synonym for the Magnolia we use for our’s.

Pyriform Fig Shape

Often referred to as “pear-shaped”.

Pyriform With A Thick Neck

Condit used Fraga as an example. Just about any CdD would fit the bill as an example, so we will use the beautiful Col de Dame Mutante.

Pyriform With Neck Undifferentiated From Body

San Pietro is the example given by Condit, but we will use Archipel as our example, as it often displays this shape.

Ovoid

Condit does not include this term in his fig form descriptions, as it would fall under the above “pyriform with neck undifferentiated from body” category. Some prefer the ovoid term to describe the shape where the region near the stem “bulges” a bit more, and is more “egg-shaped”. We use Marot as our example. In fact, the top of the fig is so thick, this Marot is almost fully ellipsoid.

Neck Long & Curved

Not a form in itself, but a neck attribute of the other shapes. Marabout is the example that Condit uses. We will use Nebo as our example.

Oblique Shape

“Lopsided” or “slanted”. Again, not a fig form by itself, but an attribute of the overall fig shape. Condit gives Datte as an example. We will again use Marot as our example, as its lopsided shape is so pronounced that the ostiole can actually develop on the side of the fig, instead of the bottom.

Condit also covers the topic of fig forms on page 8 of his book, Fig Characteristics Useful in the Identification of Varieties.