Fig Tree Violette Dauphine

The 'Violette Dauphine' Fig Tree (Ficus carica) is an early, very fertile and vigorous variety. It produces large fruits with purple skin and juicy, sweet pink flesh. This self-fertile variety bears fruit twice a year. The first harvest is abundant and occurs around July, while the autumn figs ripen in September-October. The Fig Tree is a deciduous, hardy tree that thrives in sunny locations. Plant it in autumn or winter, avoiding frost (or in spring for colder regions).

The 'Violette Dauphine' Fig Tree produces beautiful fruits with dark purple skin when ripe, and has a fine, juicy flesh. Figs can be used in sweet dishes (tarts, clafoutis, compotes...) or in savoury recipes paired with goat cheese, dry-cured ham, or foie gras. After harvesting, it is not recommended to store figs in the refrigerator as it alters their flavour and can cause the skin to suffer from humidity and condensation. The best way to enjoy them is fresh, directly from the tree, to fully savour their honey-like aroma.

Among the varieties of Fig Trees, we can distinguish:

- Unifere varieties, which produce a single harvest per year, usually abundant, at the beginning of autumn.

- Bifere varieties, which bear fruit twice a year, producing figs called 'figues fleurs' in early summer, appearing on the wood of the previous year, and autumn figs, developing on the current year's branches.

The 'Violette Dauphine' variety is bifere. It bears a first abundant harvest in July ('figues fleurs' weighing 100 to 120g) and a second one in autumn, around September-October, with autumn figs weighing 50 to 80g. The harvest should be done in several stages, as the figs ripen.

This variety is self-fertile and parthenocarpic, allowing it to produce fruit without fertilization. It does not require other Fig Trees and does not rely on the blastophage, the fig tree's sole pollinating insect, which is too delicate to survive in cold climates.

Originating from Turkey and Asia Minor, the Fig Tree (Ficus carica) belongs to the Moraceae family. It is a small, vigorous deciduous tree with a rounded and upright habit, often with a twisted trunk, reaching 4 to 6m (13 to 20ft) in height and 3-4m (10-13ft) in width for this variety. The leaves are rough, bright green turning yellow in autumn, finely hairy, relatively large (sometimes up to 20cm (8in) long), and have a long petiole. The lamina is deeply divided into three to seven lobes with serrated edges (most often five), with a velvety underside and prominent veins. The wood is soft and spongy, the bark gray and smooth. The root system of this small tree is powerful, spreading in all directions.

The Fig Tree is often considered one of the most beautiful fruit trees. Its unique foliage gives it an ornamental aspect and provides pleasant shade during hot summer days. Plant the Fig Tree against a wall to protect it from cold during harsh winters, with a south or southwest exposure, alongside Pomegranate, White Mulberry, and Japanese Medlar in the southern regions of the country. In the northern regions, it can be paired with Quince, Akebia quinata, and Feijoa, which are also hardy and exotic. Take into account its adult size when determining the planting distance. Although the roots do not cause damage to modern constructions, they can harm dry stone walls or walls built with weak mortar, in the old-fashioned way.