Editing Ficus carica

{| class="wikitable" style="float: right; width: 320px; margin-left: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 1em;"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background: #e8e8e8;" | Common fig (''Ficus carica'')
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | [[File:Fig (Ficus carica) fruit halved.jpg|250px|Halved common fig grown in Brazil.]]
! Scientific name
| Ficus carica
|-
! Common names
| Common fig, fig, fig tree
|-
! Genus
| [[Ficus]]
|-
! Family
| [[Moraceae]]
|-
! Order
| [[Rosales]]
|-
! Growth habit
| Deciduous shrub or small spreading tree
|-
! Native range
| Eastern Mediterranean, western and Central Asia
|-
! Mature size
| About 5–10 m; regional cultivated accounts report 3–9 m
|-
! Climate and site
| Warm-temperate to subtropical; hot, relatively dry summers and winter dormancy
|-
! Propagation
| Dormant hardwood cuttings, layering, and rooted shoots
|-
! Fruit
| Edible syconium, commonly pear-shaped and 2.5–5 cm long; color varies by cultivar
|-
! Harvest
| Usually late summer or autumn; some cultivars produce an earlier crop on old wood
|-
! Years to fruit
| Some fruit may appear in the second year; full production is often reached at about five years, depending on material and climate
|}

'''Ficus carica''' is the common fig, a deciduous fruit plant native from the eastern Mediterranean through Central Asia and widely cultivated in warm-temperate and subtropical climates. The species belongs to the genus [[Ficus]], family [[Moraceae]], and order [[Rosales]].<sup id="cite_ref-1">[[#cite_note-1|[1]]]</sup><sup id="cite_ref-2">[[#cite_note-2|[2]]]</sup><sup id="cite_ref-3">[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup>

== Description ==
[[File:Ficus-carica - bancal 20110416a.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Cultivated common fig in agricultural terraces in Extremadura, Spain.]]


Common fig is a small tree or shrub with a rounded, open, spreading crown. The leaves are alternate, deciduous, rough-textured, and deeply palmately lobed, usually with three or five lobes. Young twigs and the leaf stalks contain milky latex. The mature bark is smooth to somewhat warty and silvery gray.<sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup><sup id="cite_ref-5">[[#cite_note-5|[5]]]</sup>

The edible structure is a syconium: a fleshy receptacle enclosing numerous small flowers and, in pollinated types, the resulting tiny fruits. Syconia commonly develop on one-year-old wood and on current-season shoots, giving some plants an early crop and a later main crop. Size, shape, skin color, and flesh color vary among cultivars.<sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-5|[5]]]</sup>

== Cultivation ==

=== Soil and water ===

In its native range, Ficus carica occurs among rocks, in woods and scrub, and on hot, dry soils; it also grows along watercourses and in warm lowlands. Cultivated plants need drainage rather than shallow, compact soil that restricts the roots or excludes air. Organic, well-drained soil is suitable, and regional guidance ranges from mildly acidic to neutral conditions; the cited recommendations are not a universal pH requirement.<sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-5|[5]]]</sup><sup id="cite_ref-4">[[#cite_note-4|[4]]]</sup>

Young trees need regular water while establishing. Once established, deep summer watering is useful during prolonged dry weather, but excessive nitrogen or persistently wet soil can produce vigorous shoots with poor fruit maturation. Mulch helps conserve moisture, and root restriction is sometimes used to moderate excessive vegetative growth.<sup>[[#cite_note-4|[4]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-5|[5]]]</sup>

=== Sun and humidity ===

Full sun gives the most reliable ripening, although the species tolerates partial shade, especially against a warm wall. The native pattern is generally warm and relatively dry, and figs do not usually perform well in wet tropical lowlands; drier tropical uplands can be more suitable. Humid conditions increase the risk of fruit souring, leaf diseases, and cracking at harvest.<sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-5|[5]]]</sup>

=== Seasonal changes ===

The tree loses its leaves in winter and is most vulnerable to frost while actively growing. Dormant plants can tolerate considerably more cold than tender new shoots, but the amount of protection required depends on cultivar, age, and site. In cold areas, a protected south-facing position, low bush training, or container culture can help preserve the crop wood.<sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-5|[5]]]</sup>

Many cultivated figs produce an early crop on previous-season wood and a main crop in late summer or autumn on new wood. Dry, hot weather before ripening can reduce fruit quality, while rain near harvest can crack the skin. Irrigation should support fruit development without keeping the root zone saturated.<sup>[[#cite_note-4|[4]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-5|[5]]]</sup>

== Propagation ==

Dormant hardwood cuttings are the standard home-propagation method. Georgia extension guidance uses 8–10 inch cuttings from one-year-old wood taken in late February, with only one bud exposed when planted in a well-drained nursery row; that timing and method are regional examples rather than a universal schedule. Layering, rooted side shoots, and air layering are also possible.<sup id="cite_ref-6">[[#cite_note-6|[6]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-4|[4]]]</sup>

Seed is useful for breeding and for producing pollination-dependent material, but seedling trees do not necessarily reproduce the fruit type of a named cultivar. Cuttings preserve the characteristics of the parent plant. Some fruit may be produced in the second year, while full production is often reached at about five years; the interval varies with propagation method, climate, pruning, and plant vigor.<sup>[[#cite_note-5|[5]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-4|[4]]]</sup>

== Flowering, fruiting, and harvest ==
[[File:Ficus bud.JPG|thumb|left|240px|Bud of ''Ficus carica''.]]


The small flowers are hidden inside the developing syconium, so an apparent fruit is also the plant's flower structure. In the native pollination system, a specialized fig wasp enters through the ostiole and pollinates the internal female flowers. Most common-type cultivars grown in North America set fruit without pollination, whereas Smyrna-type figs require pollination and San Pedro types combine different crop behaviors. The pollination requirement must therefore be matched to the fig type and local climate.<sup id="cite_ref-7">[[#cite_note-7|[7]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-6|[6]]]</sup>

Figs should be allowed to ripen fully before picking. A ripe fruit is usually soft, drooping, and strongly colored for its cultivar; the exact visual cue differs among green, bronze, purple, and brown selections. Fresh figs are fragile and have a short storage life. Crop loss can result from excessive vigor, drought before ripening, cold injury, premature fruit drop, souring, birds, nematodes, and insects entering through an open eye.<sup>[[#cite_note-4|[4]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-5|[5]]]</sup>

== Cultivars and fig types ==

Common-type cultivars are the usual choice where the pollinating wasp is absent. Regional extension recommendations include Brown Turkey, Celeste, Hardy Chicago, Conadria, and Alma, but adaptation and crop timing vary by region. North Carolina also lists Brunswick, Little Ruby, Magnolia, and Marseille; cultivar names should not be treated as interchangeable with the species or as guarantees of performance outside the region where they were evaluated.<sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-4|[4]]]</sup>

== Fruit and uses ==

Ripe figs are eaten fresh or cooked and are also dried, canned, preserved, and used in bakery products, puddings, jams, and jellies. The fruit is high in sugars, and dried figs keep substantially longer than fresh ones. Food quality depends on cultivar, maturity, weather during ripening, and handling after harvest.<sup>[[#cite_note-5|[5]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup>

== Photos ==
[[File:Ficus carica kz01.jpg|260px|''Ficus carica'' in Petra, Jordan.]]

== References ==

* <span id="cite_note-1"></span>[[#cite_ref-1|↑]] '''[1]''' [https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:852556-1 Plants of the World Online: Ficus carica].

* <span id="cite_note-2"></span>[[#cite_ref-2|↑]] '''[2]''' [https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/match?name=Ficus%20carica GBIF species match: Ficus carica].

* <span id="cite_note-3"></span>[[#cite_ref-3|↑]] '''[3]''' [https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/ficus-carica/ North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: Ficus carica].

* <span id="cite_note-4"></span>[[#cite_ref-4|↑]] '''[4]''' [https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C945 University of Georgia Cooperative Extension: Home Garden Figs].

* <span id="cite_note-5"></span>[[#cite_ref-5|↑]] '''[5]''' [https://apps.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Ficus_carica.PDF World Agroforestry Agroforestree Database: Ficus carica].

* <span id="cite_note-6"></span>[[#cite_ref-6|↑]] '''[6]''' [https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Ficus+carica Useful Tropical Plants: Ficus carica].

* <span id="cite_note-7"></span>[[#cite_ref-7|↑]] '''[7]''' [https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Ficus+carica Useful Tropical Plants: pollination and fig types in Ficus carica].

== Image credits ==

* [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fig_(Ficus_carica)_fruit_halved.jpg File:Fig (Ficus carica) fruit halved.jpg] — Ivar Leidus; CC BY-SA 4.0; halved common fig grown in Brazil.

* [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ficus-carica_-_bancal_20110416a.jpg File:Ficus-carica - bancal 20110416a.jpg] — Luis Fernández García; CC BY-SA 4.0; cultivated Ficus carica in Extremadura, Spain.

* [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ficus_carica_kz01.jpg File:Ficus carica kz01.jpg] — Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz; CC BY-SA 4.0; Ficus carica in Petra, Jordan.

* [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ficus_bud.JPG File:Ficus bud.JPG] — Etienne; CC BY-SA 3.0; Ficus carica bud.