This is a good one for you research nuts (I won't mention any specific names). Any references in the writings?

I know this is an old post, but I was doing some back-reading. Did anything come of this? This fig sounds delicious! Are these the names it goes by? (Vasilika Sika, Greek Athens, and King and Queen?)

Thanks!
~ Erin

Found this little bit on fig cultivation on Cyprus. Though I'd add it to this thread as it mentions the 'Vasilika' variety:

Fig tree (Ficus carica)
The cultivation of the fig tree in Cyprus occupies 220 ha as regular plantings reaching a yield of 2 700 MT (Table 1). Also there are countless trees scattered in small family orchards and yards all over the country.

The bulk of production is for local consumption, and the prices obtained are very high especially for the early production and for the varieties with large fruits. Small quantities are exported mainly to the U.K. A considerable amount of fruits of the local variety 'Tyllirisima' are preserved and sold mainly in the local market.

The main varieties cultivated are ÂVasilikaÂ, ÂSmyrneikaÂ, ÂVardikaÂ, ÂVazanataÂ, ÂKadotaÂ, ÂNapolitana negraÂ, ÂProgontto Blanco and ÂGentile BiancoÂ.

The main method of propagation is by cuttings. The spacinigs 7 X 7 m and trickle irrigation is applied.

this fig for me is by far the best figs i have ever had in my life.i have heard they are the best. i have a vasilika fig tree here in toronto but unfortunatly it died this year i think. i have had this for about 5 years.
its funny because i just called my uncle in greece the other day to send me a branch.hope it gets to me soon.
i do not know what they are called in english but they are tasty. my tree which was about 6 feet tall would produce a lot of figs for me some almost like tennis balls.late bloomers.

Hello Pantelo
Does your Vasilika Sika fig, which translates I am told to (King & Queen), have long slender finger shaped leaves? If so I have this fig. If you need cuttings contact me in the fall

edarena, yes it has fairly slender leaves. thanks for the offer,but i actually talked to my uncle in greece who sent me cuttings today. hopefully i will receive them soon.

Hi,

I noticed that Ira ConditÂs "Fig Varieties: A Monograph" from Hilgardia, 1955, has been scanned and is available online. I thought I'd share this with the group as my first post.

I don't know yet how to insert a link into a message, so please follow the link below. I couldn't find another post here with the Condit link, and I apologize if this is already common knowledge.

Best wishes,
Camille Marie

Here is a link that might be useful: Fig Varieties: A Monograph

Ed,
I tasted my first fig from this tree today -- it's extremely good. I can tell it's going to be one of my favorites. I had to pick quickly and slightly early to beat the squirrel, and it still was very good:

Hi Gene,
ThatÂs great news glad you like it. If you like it now wait till you try it after it matures, it gets much better and fills with juice. They can hang a long time and gets supper sweet definitely one of the best that I have tried.
Ed

Sounds like a great Fig cultivar.Great taste, Heirloom with a history.
Any chance of getting some cuttings from someone in the States, this Fall/Winter?
Buy? or trade?.
Please contact at raiun42@yahoo.com .
Thanks
R

Does anybody know where I could buy one of these fig trees?

For you Greek fig lovers out there, I came across this recent 48 page report (2006) called: COLLECTION, EVALUATION AND DESCRIPTION OF GENOTYPES OF FIG TREE IN CRETE

It's all in Greek, but there are some pictures, and Babel Fish will translate Greek to English (though it's a bit rough).

edarena,
would it be possible to get one of your cuttings of the fig tree?

edarena.. I live in coastal No.Carolina. This Greek fig sounds great for a hobbyist.
Please ,put me on you list for 3 or four cuttings.
I may be too late this Spring. But, either now or next Spring.
Sure would appreciate it! Just ell me the price. Fred

Hello all!
It is interesting how the vasilika variety has such fame, and to me personally very pleasant. You see we grow this fruit, thus making our living the past 20 years. This variety is indeed one of the sweetest figs one may find...(the sweetest, by reputation) . It was basic in the ancient Athenians diet. Nowadays one will find em where they originally grew,Attica. The annual production of vasilika these days is something like 500 tonns annually, coming mainly from Markopoulo Mesogaias, Vravrona, Porto Rafti, and some from the rest of the Mesogeia plain. Often there is confusion bout which variety is the vasilika. I will try to attach some pics.

Sotiris
Thanks for posting these beautiful pictures.
You mentioned "Often there is confusion bout which variety is the vasilika".
As Edarena mentioned in a post above and mnay other in North America have mentioned that their Vasilika Silka have long slender finger shaped leaves as can be seen in this thread (pick and paste the URL):
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=4903112

The leaves on your trees look different so you are right about the confusion.

Well The question is who is confused?.
We here in Usa that have a Vasilika Sika originated from Greece too,and is super sweet,flavorful,resistant to rain,and cold,or
Sotiris:That have also a super sweet,fig,but it splits even in Greece (look at pix)where climate is very dry and ideal for fig culture.
In MY opinion,The USA cultivar is the real Vasilika Sika.

Hello everyone!

..back to you after a long time..
At the time we re getting ready for this year's gathering.
Today i ve been looking over the internet in order to find an official table of fig varieties that i recall i had once come across. I needed it for an essay im preparing. Wondering if anyone has it. Its relevant to our confusion too!! hehe
Its an interesting one.
Herman i dont c why splitting of the fig's skin is considered something bad...as far as im concerned most of the times , figs that split (not excessively) , unless they ve had unwanted visitors (flies, birds, dinosaurs ,etc.),are the best!! the sweetest ! full of honey! These figs have the disadavantage of being exposed thus making their preservation harder. To us here its normal to have split figs , and we prefer them cause we know they taste better!
Taking the chance I would like to invite anyone interested to pay us a visit for a small tour!!
I know you ve been hearing a lot of bad things about Greece but i assure you its as safe as its been the last 40 years plus Athens in August is ideal..as usually locals go for holidays...usually..this year is different..

Brother Sotiri:I appreciative your invitation to visit Athene and I wish I could one day.
I have no doubt the people are good and civilized,as it is an old culture.
As for the fact you wonder why we do not like figs that split,here is WHY.
We grow fig tree in adverse climatic condition,rainy climate ,that will make splitting figs sour fast,overnight I can say.
Plus rainy climates brings many bugs,and Wasps ,in nature and this bugs will find there way in the fruit.
The wasps will feed on the fruit,once it splits,and if you grab a fruit,and you do not see the wasp,it will sting ,a very painfully ,stinging.
Some wasps as the blue back wasps are very big and very bold to attack and sting,so that is why.
We look for cultivars with closed eye,that keep a close eye till ripe,and the wasps do not bother with it.

And if I am stubborn and grow cultivars with open eye that splits,then the wasps are going to fly in my neighbor yard,that have kids,and sting them.
They are going to call the Code enforcement bureau,and they are going to order me to cut all fruiting trees down,good ,and bad,all of them,and there is nothing I can do ,to refuse their order.
You see friend,now you know why,we want non splitting closed eye cultivars.
If you know of one I am interested,of course self fertile because we do not have fig wasp here.

Gia sou Sotiri ,

Is it the Pierre Baud chart that you are looking for ?

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fig/msg120347485998.html

John

Herman, thank you for explaining this from your point of view. Here gladly we have very little trouble with wasps..it must be the quantity - their action spreads over more trees so they seem fewer or it may be that you have large numbers of them bad blue wasps,,,
and i hate finding a wasp in the fig while im preparing packaging! -when i was little the workers did it on purpose to laugh at my reaction....!

Furthermore this kinda shocks me : "They are going to call the Code enforcement bureau,and they are going to order me to cut all fruiting trees down,good ,and bad,all of them,and there is nothing I can do ,to refuse their order. "
It is extreme but at the end of the day, if it causes such a big problem....but then i understand its your fault if your dogs bites someone but a bee sting? heh ok

As for other fig varieties that dont split , one other Attika local variety is the Markopoulo Black. It lasts longer after cut, it is larger, closed in the back, blue black with less sugar and less taste - i find it good for trade purpose but to you i think it wouldn't make any grand impression as there are many similar varieties around the world that taste better.

Vasilika are distinctively sweet, people who eat figs love the vasilika.. if only i could make it available at your local supermarket so u d knew what im talkin about...que sara sara!

take care

johnparava geia sou

Thank you very much but unfortunately it s not . That was a table of many more species and their official names + some info .. whoever uploaded it must have removed it (it was not on gardenweb....)

Hi everyone:

I would like to add some comments by herman2-

"And if I am stubborn and grow cultivars with open eye that splits,then the wasps are going to fly in my neighbor yard,that have kids,and sting them.
They are going to call the Code enforcement bureau,and they are going to order me to cut all fruiting trees down,good ,and bad,all of them,and there is nothing I can do ,to refuse their order."

Biten by the wasp is not fun if the person is allergic to the bite.
I was biten by a wasp once in my thigh and that area was swollen BIG. I had to swallow antibiotics for that!
If the wasp bites my throat (an angry wasp in a split fig fruit), I would be in serious trouble (the throat area would get swollen, blocking the necessary oxygen I need for living).

One caution I'd like to give to anyone eating a splited end fig fruit/other fruits, prior to eating,cut the fruit into half.
So in case there is a wasp inside, let this stingy insect flies out instead of bitting you in the throat!

Hi,

I need to add the cut should be "lengthwise" to expose anything hiding inside the fruit!

hi folks was wondering if you can tell me if the vasiliko fig needs to be pollinated by the fig wasp? question 2... can igrow vasiliko by seed?........ACTUALLY VASILIKO THAT WILL GIVE ME AN EDIBLE FIG! thank you.........sv

The Vasilika Sika we have here in United states doesn't require pollination. Growing it from seeds, you only have 10% chance it will make figs that doesn't require pollination.

Bass

hi Bass
thanks for info .... here is my pic of vasilika sika seedlings, taken from a greek commercial vasiliko fig. Would you know if this one needs pollination. Im taking my chances i got 4 of them growing hope one is the the good one. sv

The leaves look different than what we have here as Vasilika sika, It looks like you have a different variety.
You say seedlings, if they're grown from seeds you can get different variation of fig types. Some my be male, female, or unproductive type.

Bass

Looking at the leaves of the plants from the seeds shown above are the variety of Vasiliks shown by Sotiris above (and unlike the leaves Vasilika Sika that is grown in North America).

hi bass was wondering if you can identify this fig of mine... here is the fig

and this is the leaf...............also was wondering if you know of fluo tubes for growing fig seedlings... what type would be good for its growth.... thanks

Sotiris!
I sent a mail.

does anyone have any cuttings of this fig available. I have nothing to trade, but could cover shipping. thanks.

I recently acquired two rooted cutting of this wonderful Greek variety Vasilika from my friend in Greece (Giorgos Arvanitis). When I questioned him about Vasilika Sika, he stated that there are some confusion over the identification of these two common Vasilika varieties.

According to George, Vasilika Sika in english meaning the Royal Figs. There are two varieties of the Royal figs:

Vasilika Mavra ( Royal Black Fig ) - Dark Skin
Vasilika Melissi (Royal Honey Fig) - Green Skin

*He told me, the variety we often refer to as Vasilika Sika in the USA basically the Vasilika Mavra (The Royal Black Fig).

I am including some of the pictures from his eBay post where he sells these and some other amazing Greek varieties on Ebay frequently (ebay handle giorgos-arvanitis) . I simply can't wait to taste mine!

Vesilika Melissi:

This post was edited by ichoudhury on Mon, Jan 27, 14 at 16:15

I'd love some cuttings for this fig too. I have a few things I could trade. Please contact me. Thanks

Hi please let me know if anyone has any of these to sell or trade thanks Joe

I am looking for vasilika melissi plant. Please let me know, if anyone have this plant.