Fig of the Week #20: Oregon Prolific Fig

Oregon Prolific AKA Marseilles

Hardiness: Hardy to Seattle's winters
Type: Bifere
Fruit Ripens: Mid July and September
Fruit Color: Green and amber pulp
Taste: mildy sweet, moist and soft texture with seed crunch
Fruit Weight: 33 grams but may grow larger

Purchased from Portland Nursery

Like so many other figs, the Oregon Prolific is really a Marseilles and it has been renamed without proper research into it's true origin. But even the name Marseilles or white Marseilles or St. Anthony, is it really the original name? Of course not. The problem is if we truly go back to the origin of the fig, in many cases it would be somewhere in the Mediterranean, that's really the name we should be using.

However the fact that figs travel well doesn't help it's naming convention. Every new conutry a fig lands in they inherently pick up new name in it's new country. So the fact of the matter is, most figs have about 4-10 synonyms and it's impossible to keep up.

But to keep things straight. An Oregon Prolific is really a Marseilles.

Historical Anecdote: Marseilles was Thomas Jefferson's favorite fig.
 https://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/marseilles-fig

Marseilles = Oregon Prolific, White Naples, Figue Blanche , Lemon, Marseilles, Lattarula, Oregon Prolific , Italian Honey, White Marseilles

I was surprised that such a small tree would produce so early. It came off of a small tree.

Oregon Prolific: Breba

Taste: 4.5
Size: 3
Productivity: 2 (But still too young to tell)
Total = 9.5 

The Fruit weighed in at 33.4 grams

If you already have a White Marseilles or Latturala no need to add this to the collection. It's a good fig but doesn't rank in my top 5.