F I C 
■part, The male flowers fit each upon a feparate foot- 
flalk , and have an empalement divided into three parts -, 
they have no petals , hut three hriftly ftamind as long as 
the empalement , terminated by twin fummits the female 
flowers fit upon diftinbi foot-fialks , • their empalement s 
are divided into five parts \ they have no petals , but a 
germen as the empalement , fupporting an infiexed ftyle , 
crowned by two reflexed pointed ftigmas. T he germen 
afterward becomes a large feed , fitting in the empale- 
ment. 
'This genus of plants is ranged in the third feflion 
of Linnaeus’s twenty-third clafs, intitled Polygamia 
Polycecia ; the male and hermaphrodite dowers being 
fituated in the fame common covering, but in the 
wild Fig they are in diftinft plants. 
The Species are, 
1. Ficus (Carted) foliis palmatis. Hort. Cliff. 471. Fig- 
tree with hand-floaped leaves. Ficus communis. C. B. 
P. 457. The common Fig-tree. 
2. Ficus ( Syc amorous ) foliis cordatis fubrotundis inte- 
p-errimis. Hort. Cliff 471. Fig-tree with roundifio heart- 
floaped leaves , which are entire. Ficus folio mori, fruc- 
rum in caudice ferens. C. B. P. 459. Fig-tree with a 
Mulberry leaf \ bearing fruit on the body or fiem , com- 
monly called Sycamore. 
3. Ficus. (. Religiofa ) foliis cordatis oblongis integerrimis 
acuminatis. Hort. Cliff 471. Fig-tree with entire 
heart-floaped leaves, ending in acute points. Ficus Ma- 
labarienfis, folio cufpidato, frudu rotundo parvo ge- 
mino. Pluk. Aim. 144. Malabar Fig with a long 
pointed leaf and fmall double round fruit. 
4. Ficus ( Benghalenfis ) foliis ovatis integerrimis obtufis, 
caule inferne radicato. Hort. Cliff. 471. Fig-tree with 
oval , obtufe , entire leaves , and the lower part of the 
flalk putting out roots. Ficus Benghalenfis, folio fub- 
rotundo, frudu orbiculato. Hort. Amft. 1. p. 119. 
Bengal Fig with a rcundifb leaf, and orbicular fruit. 
5. Ficus (Indicod) foliis lanceolatis petiolatis, pedunculis 
aggregatis, ramis radicantibus. Lin. Sp. Plant. 1060. 
Fig-tree with fpear-fhaped leaves having petals , the foot- 
fialks of the fruit growing in clufters , and branches fend- 
ing out roots. Ficus Indica Theophrafti. Tabern. 
Hift. 1370. Indian Fig of Theophraftus. 
6 . Ficus ( Maximus ) foliis lanceolatis integerrimis. 
Hort. Cliff 471. Fig-tree with entire fpear-fhaped 
leaves. Ficus Indica maxima, folio oblongo, funi- 
culis e film mis ramis dimiffis radices agentibus fe 
propagans, frudu minori fphaerico languineo. Sloan. 
- Cat. Jam. 189. The largeft Indian Fig with an oblong 
leaf fending out roots from the tops of the branches , and 
a fmall fpherical blood-coloured fruit. 
7. Ficus ( Racemofa ) foliis ovatis acutis integerrimis, 
caule arboreo, frudu racemofa. Lin. Sp. Plant. 
1060. Amoen. Acad. 1. p. 30. Fig-tree with oval , 
entire , acute leaves , tree-like flalk , and branching fruit. 
Alty-alu. Hort. Mai. 1. p. 43. 
8. Ficus (Pumila) foliis ovatis acutis integerrimis, caule 
repente. Lin. Sp. Plant. 1060. Amcen. Acad. 1. p. 
30. Fig-tree with oval , acute , entire leaves , and a 
creeping flalk. Ficus fylveftris procumbens, folio fim- 
plici. Koempf. Amoen. 803. Trailing wild Fig-tree hav- 
ing Jingle leaves. 
0. Ficus (Nymphaafolia) foliis ovato-cordatis integer- 
rimis glabris. Fig-tree with oval , heart-floaped , entire , 
fmooih leaves , vulgarly called Ficus nymphgese folio. 
Fig-tree with a V/ at er Fily leaf. 
10. Ficus (1 Citrifolia ) foliis obiongo-cordatis acuminatis, 
petiolis longifiimis. Fig-tree with oblong , heart-floaped , 
pointed leaves , and very long foot-fialks. Ficus citrii 
folio, frudu parvo purpureo. Catefb. Flift. Carol. 3. 
p. 18. Fig-tree with a Citron-leaf , and fmall purple 
fruit. 
11. Ficus (Calyculata) foliis ovatis integerrimis obtufis, 
oppofitis, frudu globofo calyculato. Fig-tree with 
oval , obtufe, entire leaves placed oppofite , and a globular 
fruit hawing a calyx. Ficus folio lato fubrotundo, 
frudu globofo, magnitudine nuces mofehatae. Flouft. 
MSS. Fig-tree^ with broad roundifh leaves, and a globu- 
lar fruit about the bignefs of a nutmeg. 
The firft fort, which is the Fig whofe fruit is va- 
F I € 
luable, is cultivated in mod parts of Europe ; of this 
there are great varieties in the warm countries, which 
have been obtained, from feeds, therefore may be in- 
creafed annually, if the inhabitants were careful in pro- 
pagating the trees from the feeds of their belt forts. 
In England v/e had not more than four or five forts till 
within a few years pad; ; for as the generality of the 
Englifh were not lovers of this fruit, fo there were 
few who troubled themfelves with the culture of it. 
But fome years pail I had a large colledion of tKefe 
trees fent me from Venice, by my honoured friend 
the Chevalier Rathgeb, which I planted and p re- 
fereed to t afire of their fruits, feveral of which proved 
excellent ; thefe I Lave preferved and propagated, 
and thofe whofe fruit were inferior have been ne~ 
gleded. And as the variety of them is very great, 
fo I fihall here mention only fuch of them as are the 
beft worth cultivating, placing them in the order of 
their ripening. 
1. The brown or Chefnut-coloured Ifchia Fig. This 
is the largeft fruit of any I have yet feen, it is fhort, 
globular, with a pretty large eye, pinched in near the 
foot-ftalk, of a brown or Chefnut colour on the oj.it- 
fide, and purple within ; the grains are large, and the 
pulp fweet and high-fiavoured this fort very often 
bur firs open when it ripens. It ripens the latter end 
of July, or the beginning of Auguft. I have had 
this fruit ripen well on ftandards, in a warm foil. If 
this fort is planted againft hot walls, two plentiful 
crops of fruit may be annually ripened. 
2. The black Genoa Fig. This is a long fruit, which 
fwells pretty large at the top where it is obtufe, but 
the lower part is very flender toward the ftalk j the 
fkin is of a dark purple colour, almoft black, and hath 
a purple farina over it like that on fome Plumbs ^ the 
infide is of a bright red, and the flefin is very high 
flavoured. It ripens early in Auguft. 
3. The fmall white early Fig. This hath a roundifh 
fruit a little flatted at the crown, with a very fhort 
foot-ftalk •, the fkin, when fully ripe, is of a pale yel- 
lowifb white colour ; the fkin is thin, the infide white, 
and the fiefh fweet, but not high-fiavoured. This 
ripens in Auguft. 
4. The large white Genoa Fig. This is a large glo- 
bular fruit, a little lengthened toward the ftalk •, the 
fkin is thin, of a yeliowifh colour when fully ripe, 
and red within. This is a good fruit, but the trees 
are not good bearers. 
5. The black Ifchia Fig. This is a fhort fruit, of 
a middling fize, a little flatted at the crown ; the fkin 
is almoft black when ripe, and the infide is of a deep 
red ; the flefli is very high flavoured, and the trees 
produce a good crop of fruit, but the birds are great 
devourers of them if they are not protected from 
them. This ripens in Auguft. 
6. The Malta Fig. This is a fmall brown fruit, 
much comprefied at the top, and greatly pinched to- 
ward the foot-ftalk •, the fkin is of a pale brown co- 
lour, as is alfo the infide ; the fiefh is very fweet, and 
well flavoured. If this fort is permitted to hang upon 
the trees till the fruit is fhrivelled, it becomes a fine 
fweetmeat. 
7. The Murrey, or brown Naples Fig. This is a 
pretty large globular fruit, of a light brown colour 
on the outfide, with fome faint marks of a dirty 
white, the infide is nearly of the fame colour ; the 
grains are pretty large, and the fiefh is well flavoured. 
It ripens the latter end of Auguft. 
8. The green Ifchia Fig. This is an oblong fruit, 
almoft globular at the crown ; the fkin is thin, of a 
green colour, but when it is fully ripe, it is ftained 
through by the pulp to a brownifh caft j the infide is 
purple, and will ftain linen, or paper ; the flefli is 
high flavoured, efpecially in warm feafons. It ripens 
toward the end of Auguft. 
9. The Madonna Fig, commonly called here the 
Brunfwick, or Hanover Fig, is a long pyramidal fruit 
of a large fize ^ the Akin is brown j the fiefh is of a 
lighter brown colour, coarfe, and hath little flavour. 
This ripens the end of Auguft and the beginning of 
September j 
