DAUPHINE
Ficus carica cultivar(San pedro type!)
Syn.
Sometimes marketed in South Africa as "Avignon" The first plants that were marketed in South Africa were incorrectly sold as "Parisian". To complicate matters further the cultivar "Noire de Caromb" was mislabelled as "Avignon"!
Origin
France
BREBA
Yes, bears a very large crop of early figs.
Description
The breba and main crop figs differ from each other.
The breba crop's figs are very large, round to fat pear shaped. The skin is green with brownish-purple bands when fully ripe. The flesh is light pink and has a good quality taste. The breba crop does not require pollination to set fruit.
The main crop's figs are smaller and round turning dark purple when ripe. The flesh is dark pink. The main crop needs pollination to set fruit.
Ripens
The breba crop ripens from mid January.
Uses
*Good for fresh eating, jams and baking.
Notes
Height and Spread: +4m x +4m
*This is a San Pedro type fig. This means that the breba crop will set fruit without the need of pollination but the main crop will need pollination from the fig wasp in order to set fruit.
*Only suited to areas in the Western Cape that has a suitable climate for hosting the fig wasp. In the rest of the country it will therefore only bear a breba crop.
*Figs that are not pollinated will develop to roughly the size of a cherry and then fall off the tree.
*In our own test orchards the breba crop performed very poorly with only a few figs developing fully, even with no pruning done at all during winter.
*The tree is very strong growing with attractive, fresh green leaves. It is compact and bushy growing.
*It is a heavy bearer and if pollination requirements can be correctly met it will have excellent commercial potential.
*Pruning should be done very carefully as the breba crop of figs is born on the previous years growth. Only very little pruning is advised or pruning should be done directly after the last of the brebas have ripened.
*The breba crop is much larger and more important than the main crop.
*There is a lot of confusion about this variety especially in South Africa.
*Firstly the name was changed and marketed as "Avignon". Secondly plants were incorrectly sold as "Parisian" at first. The variety "Noire de Caromb/Southern Black" was also mislabelled as "Avignon"!
*Internationally there is also confusion about synonoms. It is often confused with "Adam" and "Violette Dauphine" which is sets fruit without pollination.
