The fig ( Ficus carica ) is a plant belonging to the mulberry family (Moraceae) and is known for its edible fruit. Figs are indigenous to the area from Asiatic Turkey to northern India, but they can grow in most Mediterranean countries with warm climates. The fig plant can be a bush or small tree, ranging from 1 to 10–12 meters in height, characterized by broad, rough, deciduous leaves. When broken, the leaves and stems release a white latex. Fig fruits are known as syconia, within which exist staminate (male) or pistillate (female) flowers. Figs are a widely cultivated fruit, and in the Mediterranean region, they are a significant food source, containing calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and iron.

Is a fig a fruit or something else?

The fig is the edible fruit of the fig plant ( Ficus carica ), a member of the mulberry family Moraceae . The fig plant can be a small tree or bush, ranging from 1 to 12 meters in height, characterized by its broad, rough, deciduous leaves. Figs are multiple fruits, consisting of the gynoecia (female parts of the flower) from multiple flowers that ripen together. The flowers are either staminate (male) or pistillate (female) and are enclosed within the fig's structure. There are hundreds of varieties of figs grown worldwide.

Where do fig plants usually grow?

Fig plants ( Ficus carica ) are native to the area from Asiatic Turkey to northern India, but they grow as natural seedlings in most Mediterranean countries and are cultivated in warm climates. As a genus, Ficus is native to East Asia's tropical areas but is distributed throughout the world's tropics. They thrive in a wide range of soil types and, in most Mediterranean countries, receive water only from natural rainfall. Hundreds of fig varieties are grown worldwide, though their nomenclature is often confused. When introduced to other countries, figs are commonly renamed.

How do figs develop on the fig plant?

Figs develop from a bush or small tree that can grow from about 3 feet to roughly 39 feet in height. Fig fruits, known as syconia , grow either individually or in pairs close to where leaves have fallen or where leaves are growing during the current season. Inside the syconium are the flowers, which are either male or female. There are four horticultural types of figs: * Smyrna Figs of the Smyrna-type need fertile seeds to develop. * White San Pedro Figs of the White San Pedro type combine the characteristics of both the Smyrna and the Common type on one tree. * Common Common figs do not require flower pollination of either crop. * Caprifig Produces inedible figs that house fig wasp young.

What are some ways people use figs for food?

Figs are used in a variety of ways for food. The common fig is widely used in the Mediterranean region, both fresh and dried, and has been called "the poor man's food". Figs can also be made into puddings. The fruit contains significant amounts of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and iron. Ripe Ficus fruits attract various mammals and birds.

How do figs interact with animals or insects in nature?

Figs have a complex interaction with animals and insects in nature. The fig wasp is vital to the fig's pollination. The female fig wasp lays eggs inside the syconium , the fig's flowering structure. The short-styled female flowers are adapted to the egg-laying habits of the fig wasp. Figs also serve as a critical food source for many animals. As the wasp leaves a Ficus plant , the fruit crop ripens quickly, providing a feast for mammals and birds. This makes figs a crucial resource, especially during food shortages. Many birds and mammals eat figs and diaspores , aiding in seed dispersal.

Fig

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Diagram showing the life cycle of the fig wasp, with labeled illustrations of wasps and figs. Steps detail how female wasps enter figs to lay eggs, pollinate flowers, and how larvae develop, with male wasps aiding females' escape before dying, illustrating the symbiotic relationship between fig wasps and fig trees.

At a Glance

fig summary

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Related Topics:: fig wasp; Smyrna fig; caprifig; common fig; White San Pedro fig

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common fig Fruit of the common fig (*Ficus carica*).

Fig

plant and fruit

Also known as: Ficus carica

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 1, 2026 •History

Top Questions

What is a fig?
The fig (Ficus carica) is a plant belonging to the mulberry family (Moraceae) and is known for its edible fruit. Figs are indigenous to the area from Asiatic Turkey to northern India, but they can grow in most Mediterranean countries with warm climates.

The fig plant can be a bush or small tree, ranging from 1 to 10–12 meters in height, characterized by broad, rough, deciduous leaves. When broken, the leaves and stems release a white latex. Fig fruits are known as syconia, within which exist staminate (male) or pistillate (female) flowers.

Figs are a widely cultivated fruit, and in the Mediterranean region, they are a significant food source, containing calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and iron.
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1. Definition of fig
2. fig
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Is a fig a fruit or something else?
The fig is the edible fruit of the fig plant (Ficus carica), a member of the mulberry family Moraceae. The fig plant can be a small tree or bush, ranging from 1 to 12 meters in height, characterized by its broad, rough, deciduous leaves.

Figs are multiple fruits, consisting of the gynoecia (female parts of the flower) from multiple flowers that ripen together. The flowers are either staminate (male) or pistillate (female) and are enclosed within the fig's structure. There are hundreds of varieties of figs grown worldwide.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Where do fig plants usually grow?
Fig plants ( Ficus carica) are native to the area from Asiatic Turkey to northern India, but they grow as natural seedlings in most Mediterranean countries and are cultivated in warm climates. As a genus, Ficus is native to East Asia's tropical areas but is distributed throughout the world's tropics. They thrive in a wide range of soil types and, in most Mediterranean countries, receive water only from natural rainfall.

Hundreds of fig varieties are grown worldwide, though their nomenclature is often confused. When introduced to other countries, figs are commonly renamed.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Ficus
2. fig: Types and cultivation
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How do figs develop on the fig plant?
Figs develop from a bush or small tree that can grow from about 3 feet to roughly 39 feet in height. Fig fruits, known as syconia, grow either individually or in pairs close to where leaves have fallen or where leaves are growing during the current season. Inside the syconium are the flowers, which are either male or female.

There are four horticultural types of figs:
* Smyrna Figs of the Smyrna-type need fertile seeds to develop.
* White San Pedro Figs of the White San Pedro type combine the characteristics of both the Smyrna and the Common type on one tree.
* Common Common figs do not require flower pollination of either crop.
* Caprifig Produces inedible figs that house fig wasp young.
4 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What are some ways people use figs for food?
Figs are used in a variety of ways for food. The common fig is widely used in the Mediterranean region, both fresh and dried, and has been called "the poor man's food". Figs can also be made into puddings. The fruit contains significant amounts of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and iron. Ripe Ficus fruits attract various mammals and birds.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How do figs interact with animals or insects in nature?
Figs have a complex interaction with animals and insects in nature. The fig wasp is vital to the fig's pollination. The female fig wasp lays eggs inside the syconium, the fig's flowering structure. The short-styled female flowers are adapted to the egg-laying habits of the fig wasp.

Figs also serve as a critical food source for many animals. As the wasp leaves a Ficus plant, the fruit crop ripens quickly, providing a feast for mammals and birds. This makes figs a crucial resource, especially during food shortages. Many birds and mammals eat figs and diaspores, aiding in seed dispersal.
5 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Fig, (Ficus carica), plant of the mulberry family (Moraceae) and its edible fruit. The common fig is indigenous to an area extending from Asiatic Turkey to northern India, but natural seedlings grow in most Mediterranean countries; it is cultivated in warm climates. In the Mediterranean region the fig is so widely used, both fresh and dried, that it is called “the poor man’s food.” The fruit contains significant amounts of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and iron.

The fig was one of the earliest fruit trees to be cultivated, and its cultivation spread in remote ages over all the districts around the Aegean Sea and throughout the Levant. The Greeks are said to have received it from Caria (hence the specific name); Attic figs became celebrated in the East, and special laws were made to regulate their exportation. The fig was one of the principal articles of sustenance among the Greeks; the Spartans especially used it at their public tables. Pliny the Elder enumerated many varieties and described those of home growth as furnishing a large portion of the food of slaves. In Latin myth the fig was held sacred to Bacchus and employed in religious ceremonies; the fig tree that overshadowed the twin founders of Rome in the wolf’s cave was an emblem of the future prosperity of the race.

Physical description

The fig plant is a bush or small tree, from 1 metre (3 feet) to 10 to 12 metres (33 to 39 feet) high, with broad, rough, deciduous leaves that are deeply lobed or sometimes nearly entire. The leaves and stems exude a white latex when broken.

Chef tossing vegetables in a frying pan over a burner (skillet, food).

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Fig fruits, known as syconia, are borne singly or in pairs above the scars of fallen leaves or in axils of leaves of the present season. Flowers are staminate (male) or pistillate (female) and enclosed within the inflorescence structure. Long-styled female flowers are characteristic of the edible fruits of most garden and orchard fig trees. Another type of tree, known as a caprifig, produces inedible figs that house the fig wasp young. It has short-styled female flowers that are adapted to the egg-laying habits of the fig wasp (Blastophaga) and also contains male flowers near the apex. Pollen from the caprifigs is carried by the fig wasps to pollinate both the edible and inedible figs.

Types and cultivation

In addition to the caprifig, there are three other horticultural types of figs: Smyrna, White San Pedro, and Common. Smyrna-type figs develop only when fertile seeds are present, and these seeds account for the generally excellent quality and nutty flavour of the fruit. Figs of the White San Pedro type combine the characteristics of both the Smyrna and the Common type on one tree. First-crop figs develop without flower pollination, while second-crop figs in axils of leaves require it. Common figs such as the Dottato, Fraga, and Brown Turkey do not require pollination of flowers of either crop, the seeds in the mature fruit usually being hollow. The flowers of such figs were once regarded as incapable of fecundation and were therefore designated as mule flowers, but it has been proved that all common figs can produce fertile seeds if the flowers are pollinated.

The varieties of figs grown in various parts of the world run into the hundreds. Their nomenclature is very much confused, since the same fig is often grown in neighbouring provinces under entirely different names. When a fig is introduced into other countries, a new name is commonly coined. Thus, Lob Injir of Smyrna became Calimyrna in California, and Dottato of Italy became Kadota. The Italian San Piero is known in England as Negro Largo, in France as Aubique Noire, and in California as San Pedro Black, Brown Turkey, or Black Spanish.

figRipening figs on a common fig tree (*Ficus carica*).

Fig trees are propagated from cuttings of dormant wood taken in February in the Northern Hemisphere and planted in nursery rows. These grow in one season to a height of 1 metre (3 feet) and are ready to transplant at the end of the growing season. The trees thrive in a wide range of soil types and in most Mediterranean countries receive water only from the natural rainfall. Some varieties produce only one crop, in summer or fall. Some bear two crops, the first maturing in June or July on wood of the previous growth and the second ripening in summer or fall in the axils of the leaves of the same season. In cool climates such as those of England and central France, most varieties mature only the first crop. Pot culture of figs in greenhouses has long been practiced in England and other countries.

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In most districts, figs are gathered when they fall and placed on trays for drying. Turning and manipulating during the drying process improves the texture and quality of the product. In the Old World, figs are grown commercially in Italy, Turkey, Algeria, Greece, Portugal, and Spain.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.

Fig

Physical description

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Types and cultivation