922 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



The San Pedro type (Ficits carica intermedia), with 

 mule flowers in the first crop and female flowers in the 

 second crop. 



The Cordelia type (Ficus carica relicta), which is a 

 very rare one, which carry some male flowers, and which 

 must be considered as semi-capri, or reverted edible fig. 



Various Kinds of Matitrity . — In the fig as well as in 

 other fruits, we can distinguish between two kinds of ma- 

 turity. Gallesio was the first one to make the distinction, 

 and I here adopt it, somewhat modified, as being of 

 particular use in demonstrating the nature of the fig. We 

 find that some or most edible fig varieties set and mature 

 their figs without pollination, but that as a consequence 

 such figs contain no perfect flowers with fertile embryos. 

 This state of maturity may be called pomological maturity, 

 as it does not necessarily require the botanical perfec- 

 tion of the flowers. Pomological maturity is attained by 

 the great majority of edible figs, and is undoubtedly an 

 inheritance from the caprifig, which becomes similarly 

 pomologically mature. This pomological maturity is not 

 necessaril}^ accompanied by any botanical maturity, as, 

 for instance, is proven by our California figs, which never 

 contain any fertile seed (35). 



The other kind of maturity may be called botanical 

 maturity, as it requires the female flowers to be devel- 

 oped with perfect embryos, in order that the fruit may 

 set and become also pomologically mature. If the fruit 

 is edible or cultivated as a fruit, the pomological maturity 

 will always be effected by the botanical maturity. The 

 Smyrna figs can only attain pomological maturit}'^ by first 

 being botanically mature. But nearly all other figs be- 

 come pomologically ripe without necessarily or generally 

 being botanically ripe. Other figs again, like the San 

 Pedro, produce a pomologically ripe first crop, but the 



