Fig Glossary
Terminology, Abbreviations & Acronyms
In any particular field of study, there is a specific terminology (vocabulary) associated with it. Figs are no different. These terms can be a bit daunting for “newbies”. Some fig terms are even obscure to seasoned fig veterans. This glossary is designed to be a powerful resource for understanding terminology that is unique to the fig community.
Note: Use the search function to quickly go directly to your term or to find synonyms for the primary list.
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- Saccate
Bearing a pouch or saclike body.
- Sacred Origin
Lee Anne, located in Anderson, California, is committed to finding and conserving unique and useful fig trees and bringing them to the fig community. You may view an interview of Lee Anne on YouTube.
- Sagittate
Shaped like an arrowhead.
- Sal's Corleone Fig Family
Or sometimes called the Columbaro Nero Fig Family. One of the family of fig varieties that are grouped into categories of similar characteristics. Sometimes called Sal's Corleone Type.
- San Pedro Fig Type
A fig variety that produces both an early breba crop on the prior year's wood that does not require caprification, and a second summer crop, like smyrna types, that requires caprification to produce edible figs.
- Scaberulous
Minutely scabrous.
- Scabrid
Slightly scabrous.
- Scabrous
Rough to the touch; sandpapery.
- Scale
Plural, bracts. Reduced leaf or scale. The "scales" that line the "eye" or ostiole of the fig.
- Scandent
Climbing or trailing.
- Scarious
Thin and membranous.
- Scion
A shoot, branch, whip or twig of a plant, especially one cut for grafting or rooting.
- Sclereid
A sclerotic cell (hardened).
- Scurf
Small, loose, or powdery scales on a stem or leaf.
- Second Caprifig Crop
The second or spring caprifig crop, maturing in June in California.
- Second Main Crop
The second main crop of figs that occurs in autumn. Sometimes called "second main crop", "fall crop", or "autumn crop".
- Seedling
In common botanical terms, it is simply, "a young plant, especially one raised from seed and not from a cutting". However, among the fig community, the seedling (or "chance seedling") term carries the idea that a completely new fig variety, with its own unique genetics, is created when grown from seed. This applies to either natural selection (wild fig trees) or human breeding. Such fig varieties then deserve their own unique name. In botany, the actual term that may be more accurate is "ortet": the original plant from which the members of a clone have descended. In contrast, see Unknown.
- Sepal
The sepals of each flower within the fig, forming a whorl that encloses the ovary.
- Sericeous
Silky.
- Serrate
Saw-toothed.
- Serrulate
Finely serrate; denticulate.
- Sessile
- Setose
Thickly set with bristles or bristly hairs.
- Siko
An edible fig, usually Ficus carica, but can be of other species. "Fig" is often in variety names, in other languages:
- Arabic: Teen
- Catalan: Fig; plural: Figues
- Chinese: wu hua guo
- French: Figue; plural: Figues
- German: Feige; Essfeige
- Greek: Sýko; (or Siko) plural: Sýka (or Sika)
- Hebrew: Te'enah; plural: Tnm
- India (Hindi): Anjir
- Italian: Fica (feminine); Fico (masculine)
- Portuguese: Figo; plural: Figos
- Spanish: Higo; plural: Higos
- Turkish: Incir
- Sinuate
Margin alternately bowed inward and outward.
- Sinus
A bay, recess, or indentation.
- Siyah
The color "black" or "dark" is often in the name of fig varieties and can be translated from:
- Catalan: Negre
- French: Noire (feminine); Noir (masculine)
- Greek: Mávros
- Italian: Nero
- Portuguese: preta (feminine); preto (masculine)
- Spanish: negra (feminine); negro (masculine)
- Turkish: siyah
- Smyrna Fig Type
A female fig variety that produces a single summer crop which requires caprification (pollination) via the "fig wasp" or hand pollination in order to produce edible figs. Pollen is only produced by the male caprifigs.
- Soft Cutting
A pervasive, but not entirely accurate term used within the fig community that refers to a soft, non-woody, or non-lignified cutting. Cuttings may actually be green, yet well-lignified. More accurate terms may be: Soft Cutting, Non-lignified Cutting, or Non-woody Cutting.
- Spatulate
Rounded above and contracted below to a narrow base.
- Sphagnum Moss
Similar to peat moss, which is decomposed sphagnum, but maintains its stringy-like properties. It has excellent water holding capacity, while providing proper aeration, and is used in the sphagnum rooting method.
- Spherical
One of the fig form descriptors, also called "Round", "ball-shaped", "globular", or "globose". See the Fig Form Descriptions page for more information.
- Sport
The change in the structure of a gene, resulting in a variant form that may be transmitted to subsequent generations, caused by the alteration of single base units in DNA, or the deletion, insertion, or rearrangement of larger sections of genes or chromosomes.
In botany, a sport or bud sport, traditionally called lusus, is a part of a plant that shows morphological differences from the rest of the plant. Sports may differ by foliage shape or color, flowers, fruit, or branch structure. The cause is generally thought to be a chance genetic mutation.
Wikipedia "Sport" Article - Spotted Wing Drosophila
Often referred to as SWD, is a fruit fly that can be very damaging to figs. Bagging figs before the flies can enter through the eyes can reduce the impact of SWD. See Drosophila suzukii.
- Spring Caprifig Crop
The second or spring caprifig crop, maturing in June in California.
- Squat
One of the fig form descriptors. Flattened at base or apex, or both. A “flattened ball” shape. Very “squat”. Wider than long. See the Fig Form Descriptions page for more information.
- Stagnant Stage
The period between the two fig growth spurts. Figs will initially have a significant growth stage, then "stall" for a month or two. Then figs will have another growth spurt that will quickly take them to the ripening stage.
- Stamen
Male organ of a flower. See the Anatomy Of A Fig page for more details.
- Stigma
- Stipules
Scale-like bracts which enclose the embryonic leaf in bud and expand as the bud opens.
- Stomata
Breathing pores.
- Strain
In the general realm of botany, the term has no official ranking status; it refers to the collective descendants produced from a common ancestor that share a uniform morphological or physiological character. A strain is a designated group of offspring that are either descended from a modified plant (produced by conventional breeding or by biotechnological means), or which result from genetic mutation. Within the fig community, the "strain" term has taken on a somewhat different additional meaning, which can be confusing. There can be numerous varieties with the same name. To distinguish between these varieties, a "strain" is appended to the end of the name. These are not just variants of the same variety, but clearly different varieties.
- Strand
The "strand" that extends from the tip of the numerous flowers contained within a fig. There are "Long" and "Short" styles. Short styles are the female flowers within the male caprifig. Long styles are the female flowers within the common type fig. The Ficus sycomorus species can have both styles within its body.
- Style
The "strand" that extends from the tip of the numerous flowers contained within a fig. There are "Long" and "Short" styles. Short styles are the female flowers within the male caprifig. Long styles are the female flowers within the common type fig. The Ficus sycomorus species can have both styles within its body.
- Sub-
Prefix meaning somewhat; nearly.
- Sub-Irrigated Planter
Often called a SIP, or sometimes called a Self-Watering Planter (SWP). SIPs can be a good means of maintaining consistent soil moisture.
- Subulate
Awl-like.
- Summer Crop
Often called the "main crop" or "summer crop", is the primary crop of figs that ripen from about mid-summer through early fall, as opposed to the earlier breba crop. Typically, the main crop is often of higher quality than the breba crop.
- SWD
Often referred to as SWD, is a fruit fly that can be very damaging to figs. Bagging figs before the flies can enter through the eyes can reduce the impact of SWD. See Drosophila suzukii.
- Syconium
Botanical name of the fig receptacle. The pith and epidermis of a fig. It is the foundation and enclosure from which the individual flowers within the fig grow.