This month we pass by the Vegetable Garden of Stavros Niarchos Park and we take a break in the shade of the Common Fig (Ficus carica- Kalamata).
Common Fig is a perennial tree from the same family as the Mulberry (Moraceae) belonging to the genus Ficus. It is a plant widely spread throughout the Mediterranean region and is easily adaptable to poor types of soil.
In early spring, the naked branches of Common Fig sprout bright green leaves that are palmate, large, petiolate, rough to the touch and with 3 to 7 lobes. To date, there are over 700 named varieties of fig trees while interestingly, the leaves and fruit fossil record shows a prehistoric distribution of Ficus Carica across southern Europe (De Candolle, 1886).
Have you ever noticed a blooming Fig tree? You probably have, since its flowers -unlike most plants- has a close inflorescence that evolves into a fig (syconium). Figs are in fact enclosed flowers that bloom modestly inward. A botanist would probably sell them at the florist, with the fresh-cut roses rather than the grocery shelves.
Due to its shape and structure, figs require a special pollination circle that is accomplished by a symbiosis with a small wasp (Blastophaga psenes) a biological interaction known since Herodotus’ era. Female tree’s fruits are edible contrary to the male tree figs that never ripen.
“In old times, an olive tree, a grapevine and a fig tree along with a well with fresh water were everything a happy home needed” according to Helmut Baumann - summing up the eating habits of antiquity.
