About the Mission Fig Tree

Mission figs

The mission fig is so-called because it was discovered near an old mission in California over 100 years ago. Like all fig trees, mission figs grow best in dry climates with warm temperatures.

Geography

Also known as the black mission, Beers black and Franciscan fig, the mission fig tree originated in the Balearic Islands off the south coast of Spain. The mission fig tree is the best all-around cultivar for growing in USDA hardiness zones 7 through 9.

Identification

Mission fig trees can grow to 30-feet tall. They bear fruit in the summer and the fall. Unlike other varieties, mission fig trees will bear more fruit if only moderately pruned.

Fruit

Mission figs are a deep, dark purple and teardrop-shaped. When dried, the figs turn black. Their flesh is pink and the figs can be easily dried because of their high sugar content.

References

• California Rare Fruit Growers: Fig Fruit Facts
• Botanical Journeys Plant Guides: Black Mission Fig