What Is A Smyrna Type Fig?
Unlike the common type fig varieties, the smyrna type fig varieties require caprification (pollination) to produce edible figs.
The only known natural means of fig caprification is via the fig wasp (Blastophaga psenes). Since the fig wasp is established in only certain regions of California, most fig growers in the US will not want to acquire smyrna type fig varieties, but focus on common type and san pedro type fig varieties.
Smyrna-type figs reach full maturity only as a result of pollination of the flowers and the subsequent development of the ovules into fertile seeds. They have long been grown in Asia Minor, Greece, North Africa, and Portugal, and it is in these countries that varieties have gradually been selected for culture.
Fig Varieties: A Monograph by Ira J. Condit
