Types of Figs: A Guide to Fig Types and Popular Varieties
Figs come in hundreds of varieties, with differences in color, flavor, texture, and growing requirements. Cultivated figs are generally classified into four main types: Common, Smyrna, San Pedro, and Caprifig, based largely on how they produce fruit and whether they need pollination.
The 4 Main Types of Fig Trees
The four horticultural types describe the tree’s fruit-setting and pollination behavior rather than simply the color or flavor of its figs. This distinction explains why two varieties that look quite different can belong to the same type.
| Fig type | Pollination requirement | Typical role or characteristic | Example |
| Common | Does not require pollination | Most convenient for home gardens | Black Mission, Brown Turkey, Celeste |
| Smyrna | Requires pollination | Produces high-quality edible figs when pollinated | Calimyrna |
| San Pedro | Breba crop can develop without pollination, main crop requires it | Can produce crops with different pollination requirements | Desert King |
| Caprifig | Provides pollen rather than a conventional edible crop | Supports pollination of compatible figs | Various caprifig cultivars |
University of California sources recognize these four groups and note that Common figs are especially practical for home growers because they can set and mature figs without pollination.
Common Figs
Common figs are the most straightforward type for most home gardeners. They can develop edible figs without the specialized pollination process required by Smyrna figs. Depending on the cultivar, a Common fig may also produce an earlier breba crop on growth from the previous season.
This category includes many familiar varieties. University of California guidance lists varieties such as Black Mission, Brown Turkey, Celeste, Adriatic, Violette de Bordeaux, and White Genoa among Common-type figs.
The absence of a pollination requirement matters when selecting a backyard tree. A grower does not need to depend on caprifigs and the appropriate fig wasp for the tree to produce its main edible crop.
Smyrna Figs
Smyrna figs differ from Common figs because their edible crop requires pollination. The process involves pollen from caprifigs and a specialized fig wasp that carries that pollen. Without successful pollination, a Smyrna-type tree cannot produce its normal mature edible crop.
Calimyrna is one of the best-known Smyrna varieties. UC Agriculture and Natural Resources describes Calimyrna as the principal Smyrna cultivar historically grown commercially in California and notes the high eating quality of well-grown fruit.
This dependence on pollination makes Smyrna figs less convenient for many home gardens, particularly where the necessary pollination system is absent.
San Pedro Figs
San Pedro figs occupy an interesting middle ground between Common and Smyrna types. Their breba crop can develop without pollination, while the main crop requires pollination.
A breba crop develops on growth produced during the previous season. The main crop develops later on the current season’s growth. Consequently, the distinction between these two crops matters more with San Pedro figs than with many Common varieties.
Desert King is a well-known example of the San Pedro group. Other examples documented by the University of California include Lampeira and San Pedro.
Caprifigs
Caprifigs serve a very different purpose. They are functionally male figs involved in the pollination cycle and are generally not cultivated for the kind of sweet edible figs people expect to buy at a market. The fig wasp completes part of its life cycle inside caprifigs and can transport pollen to figs that require pollination.
Their importance is therefore primarily biological and horticultural. A gardener interested only in harvesting self-fertile Common figs generally does not need to plant a caprifig.
Popular Fig Varieties and How They Differ
The four horticultural groups explain reproduction, but varieties describe the figs people actually choose to grow, buy, and eat. Skin color alone is not a reliable way to identify a variety. Figs can have purple, brown, green, yellow-green, or other skin colors, while their pulp can range from amber to pink or deep red.
Here are some of the best-known varieties:
| Fig variety | Typical appearance | Horticultural type | Useful characteristic |
| Black Mission | Dark purple to nearly black | Common | Popular fresh and dried |
| Brown Turkey | Brown-purple | Common | Adaptable and popular for gardens |
| Kadota | Green to yellow-green | Common | Suitable for multiple uses |
| Celeste | Bronze to violet-tinged | Common | Sweet fruit that can dry well |
| Adriatic | Usually green-skinned | Common | Known for contrasting colored pulp |
| Calimyrna | Green-yellow to yellow | Smyrna | Excellent eating and drying quality |
| Desert King | Green skin, colored flesh | San Pedro | Performs well in cooler fig-growing areas |
These characteristics can vary somewhat with climate, ripeness, and growing conditions, so appearance should be treated as a guide rather than an identification system.
Black Mission Figs
Black Mission is one of the most recognizable dark fig varieties. The ripe figs have dark purple skin, making them easy to distinguish visually from pale varieties such as Kadota or Calimyrna.
Mission is a Common-type fig, so it does not require pollination to set and mature its commercial crop. UC sources identify Mission as an important variety that can be used both fresh and dried.
Its dark exterior and richly colored interior also make Mission a useful choice when presentation matters, such as on cheese boards, in salads, or in desserts where sliced figs remain visible.
Brown Turkey Figs
Brown Turkey is another Common fig and is widely grown as a garden tree. Its fruit typically has brownish-purple to purple-violet skin and reddish or strawberry-colored pulp.
One of Brown Turkey’s practical strengths is adaptability. University of California gardening guidance describes it as adaptable to many fig-growing climates and suitable as a relatively small garden tree.
For a gardener more interested in dependable fresh fruit than maintaining a specialized pollination system, that combination makes Brown Turkey worth considering.
Kadota Figs
Kadota provides a striking contrast to dark-skinned varieties. Its skin is generally green to yellow-green, so a ripe Kadota may still look pale compared with Black Mission or Brown Turkey.
Kadota is a Common-type cultivar and therefore does not depend on caprification to mature its fruit. It is also unusually versatile commercially. UC research describes Kadota as suitable for fresh consumption, drying, and canning.
That versatility is an important reminder that there is no single “best fig.” A variety that works particularly well for fresh eating may not be the preferred choice for drying or preserving.
Celeste Figs
Celeste is a Common fig with an attractive combination of bronze or violet-tinged skin and rosy-amber flesh. UC gardening guidance describes the fruit as good when eaten fresh and capable of drying well on the tree.
Because it belongs to the Common group, Celeste also offers the practical advantage of producing without the specialized pollination requirements associated with Smyrna figs.
Celeste can therefore appeal to growers looking for sweet eating figs while retaining the relative simplicity of a Common fig tree.
Adriatic Figs
Adriatic refers to figs known for relatively light or green skin, often paired with a more colorful interior. They are part of the Common group, so pollination is not necessary for the crop to mature.
Adriatic-type figs have also had an important role in dried-fig production. Historical California commercial plantings included Adriatic and related cultivars such as Conadria and Tena for whole dried figs or fig paste.
The light exterior can make these figs appear less ripe than dark varieties, which illustrates why judging ripeness solely by skin color is unreliable.
Calimyrna Figs
Calimyrna is a Smyrna-type fig, making it fundamentally different from Black Mission, Brown Turkey, Kadota, and Celeste. Its crop requires pollination, traditionally accomplished through caprification involving caprifigs and fig wasps.
The fruit has green-yellow to yellow skin with amber pulp. Calimyrna has long been valued for eating and drying quality, although its pollination requirements make production more complicated than Common-type figs.
That tradeoff is useful for growers to understand: exceptional fruit characteristics do not necessarily mean a variety is the easiest one to grow.
Desert King Figs
Desert King is especially interesting because it belongs to the San Pedro type. Its early crop can develop without pollination, while San Pedro main crops characteristically require pollination.
The variety produces green-skinned fruit with colored flesh. UC gardening guidance also identifies Desert King as adaptable across fig-growing regions and particularly suitable for cooler locations.
For growers in climates where some heat-loving fig varieties struggle to ripen consistently, climate adaptation can matter more than simply choosing the variety with the most appealing flavor description.
Green Figs vs. Black Figs: Is Color a Type?
Terms such as green figs, black figs, white figs, and purple figs are useful descriptions, but they are not the same classification system as Common, Smyrna, San Pedro, and Caprifig.
For example, Black Mission has dark skin, while Kadota and Calimyrna have much lighter skin. Yet Black Mission and Kadota both belong to the Common group, while Calimyrna belongs to the pollination-dependent Smyrna group.
This distinction prevents a common misunderstanding: the outside color of a fig does not tell you its pollination type.
Color also should not be used as the only indicator of ripeness. Different cultivars naturally finish at different colors. A ripe green-skinned fig does not need to turn purple before it is ready to harvest.
Fresh Figs vs. Dried Figs
Fresh and dried figs are not separate botanical types. They are different forms of the same crop, and some varieties are better suited to one use than another.
California research illustrates the difference well. Brown Turkey has traditionally been grown mainly for fresh consumption, while Calimyrna, Mission, and some other cultivars can serve both fresh and dried markets. Kadota is particularly versatile because it can be consumed fresh, dried, or canned.
Drying concentrates sugars and removes much of the water, so dried figs have a denser, chewier texture and a more concentrated sweetness than fresh fruit. Fresh figs are softer, more delicate, and highly perishable.
For cooking, the choice depends on the dish. Fresh figs work particularly well where their soft texture matters, while dried figs are convenient for baking, snacking, stuffing, and recipes requiring longer storage.
Which Type of Fig Is Best?
There is no universal best variety. The right choice depends on whether you want to eat figs fresh, dry them, preserve them, or grow a tree in a particular climate.
For home growing, Common figs usually offer the simplest starting point because they do not require pollination. Black Mission, Brown Turkey, Celeste, Kadota, and other Common cultivars provide plenty of choices within that category.
Climate should influence the decision as well. For example, UC guidance notes that Mission and Kadota perform best with considerable summer heat, while Desert King is better adapted to cooler fig-growing conditions.
A practical selection process is therefore:
- Determine whether the variety can ripen reliably in your climate.
- Check whether it requires pollination.
- Decide whether you primarily want fresh, dried, or preserved figs.
- Consider the mature size of the tree and available garden space.
- Compare fruit flavor, skin color, pulp, crop timing, and local availability.
This approach is more reliable than choosing a fig solely because its photograph or flavor description looks appealing.
Understanding Breba and Main Fig Crops
Another useful distinction between types of figs concerns when and where the crop develops. Some fig trees can produce two crops in a growing season.
The first is called the breba crop. Breba figs develop on wood produced during the previous growing season and generally ripen earlier. The main crop develops on the current season’s growth and ripens later.
Not every variety produces a significant breba crop. The distinction becomes particularly important with San Pedro figs because their breba crop can develop without pollination while their main crop requires it.
Pruning can also affect the amount of breba fruit available. Because brebas form on older wood, removing that wood can reduce or eliminate the early crop. That is worth considering before heavily pruning a variety valued specifically for its brebas.
A Fig Is More Unusual Than It Looks
A fig looks like an ordinary fruit from the outside, but botanically it has an unusual structure. What we call the fig “fruit” is a specialized hollow structure containing numerous tiny flowers on the inside. UC horticultural guidance describes figs as modified stems enclosing these flowers rather than simple fruits in the everyday botanical sense.
This unusual structure helps explain the remarkable relationship between certain figs and fig wasps. The tiny opening at the end of a fig, called the ostiole or eye, provides access to the interior. In pollination-dependent types, specialized wasps are involved in transferring pollen.
The process is central to understanding why Common figs can mature independently while Smyrna figs cannot.
Conclusion
Understanding the different types of figs starts with separating horticultural types from individual varieties. Common, Smyrna, San Pedro, and Caprifig describe differences in fruit production and pollination, while names such as Black Mission, Brown Turkey, Kadota, Celeste, Calimyrna, and Desert King identify particular cultivars.
For most home growers, Common figs are the simplest option because they can produce without pollination. For eating, however, there is no single winner. Dark Mission figs, adaptable Brown Turkey, versatile Kadota, sweet Celeste, pollination-dependent Calimyrna, and climate-tolerant Desert King each offer different advantages. The best choice comes from matching the variety’s pollination requirements, climate needs, crop characteristics, and culinary use to what you actually want from the tree.
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FAQ’s
There are hundreds of named fig varieties, but cultivated figs are traditionally divided into four horticultural types: Common, Smyrna, San Pedro, and Caprifig.
Well-known varieties include Black Mission, Brown Turkey, Kadota, Celeste, Adriatic, Calimyrna, Desert King, Violette de Bordeaux, and White Genoa. Popularity varies by country, climate, and whether the figs are grown for fresh eating or drying.
Common-type figs do not require pollination to produce their edible crop. This group includes many familiar garden varieties, such as Black Mission, Brown Turkey, Celeste, and Kadota.
Both are Common figs and can produce without pollination, but their fruit characteristics differ. Mission figs develop very dark purple skin, while Brown Turkey generally has brownish-purple or purple-violet skin and reddish flesh. Brown Turkey is also widely valued as an adaptable garden tree.
Yes. Some varieties remain green or yellow-green when ripe. Kadota, Adriatic-type figs, Desert King, and Calimyrna are examples of figs that can have light-colored skin at maturity. Ripeness should therefore be judged according to the characteristics of the particular variety rather than waiting for every fig to become dark.
A Common fig is generally the simplest choice because its edible crop does not depend on specialized pollination. The best cultivar within that group still depends on local climate, available space, and how you plan to use the fruit.
