1) A fig tree that has been rumored to originally came from the Island of Malta. This fig tree is most commonly called Gillette.

Here are pictures of the Gillette tree

Scientists and fig experts have studied the Gillette tree to come to the following two conclusions about it

A) It's a male fig tree (if so the Gillette is the only well known fig tree that is male and produces fruit that is
edible by humans) (all other fig trees that produce fruit edible by humans are said to be female)

B) It's an overly developed female fig tree (I have obsoletely no idea what that means)

I have discovered something very strange about the Gillette fig tree. If the Gillette fig tree is close enough to the
other fig tree that we have the Gillette's leaves that are closest to the Malta Red Purple become very similar in
shape to the leaves of the Malta red purple fig tree's leaves.

The leaves farthest away from the Malta red purple look like a Gillette fig tree is said to look

All the information that I have read about the Gillette fig tree says it's supposed to have leaves like these.

I have seen nothing to contradict that besides our Gillette fig tree. I am fascinated and very curious as to what is going on to change
the leaves of the Gillette fig tree like a Chameleon changes colors to match the color of it's surroundings.
+ why would the leaves need to change shape and look like the tree right next to it.

The Malta Purple Red fig tree seems unaffected by the pressence of the Gillette fig tree !!!

Malta Purple Red Originated from Gozo Malta

Here are pictures of our Malta Purple Red fig tree

I am not sure when the Malta Red Purple tree was started from a tree clipping of the parent tree although based upon it's size and growth I am guessing that it was started in May 2010.

When I took these pictures the Gillette was 23 and 1/4 inches high.

When I took these pictures the Malta Purple Red was 15 and 3/4 inches high.

The above pictures were taken September 28th 2010 when the Gillette tree was about 5 months and 27 days old



Fig trees are really huge bushes and just like people each variety has it's strength and it's vulnerabilities.

Fig tree bushes like some other plants (when they are old enough) their nature allows us to naturally clone them with tree branch cuttings, cutting half the tree and growing that (if the tree is still young enough). Or from the roots.

Many people clone fig trees bushes without even realizing that they are cloning them from their parent.

That is why if you get a Gillette fig tree it and it's fruit looks so much like all the other Gillette fig trees and their fruit.

Although I feel that Gillette fig tree bushes are amongst the best examples of of evolution because of it's ability to change leaf shape

Please note that young fig plants are notorious
to mis-behave and (sometimes) produce inconsistent
leaves (and fruit). May take 5 years for figs to mature.

Case in point: A while back (2006),I bought some Hollier
fig cuttings. First fruit was (surprise) brown/purple
skinned. I re-tagged it as Hollier_NOT.

This year it produced white(green) skinned fruit as
should be, go FIGure!

The Gillette that we have so far the leaves look little like the leaves I have seen online for the supposed Gillette. Nor does the fruit I have seen online showing up as Gillette fruit look much like the description of the real Gillette fruit as described in the book "Cultivation and Diseases of Fruit Trees in the Maltese Islands". Am I wrong to think that the real Saint John (named Gillette after a nursery that used to sell the fig tree) is supposed to have both a strong brown and green presence when ripe? After all it does say greenish brown and not brownish green

There may be 2 or 3 different fig trees same name yet different spelling

Gilette (One L) supposedly a pure Caprifig
Gillette aka? Gillete (Two L) is supposedly a Bifere with a much better first crop than a second

The again there is lots of false classification too.

brown , purple , black , green, yellow ?