Marseilles Fig

When Jefferson said the Marseilles fig was "incomparably superior to any fig I have ever seen," he implicitly ranked it with his great favorites of the fruit world. Marseilles, according to tradition, was the first fig variety introduced into England, when in 1525, Cardinal Pole planted one at Lambeth, the London palace of the Archbishop of Canterbury. This tree was fifty feet tall in 1834, one of the many tributes to the longevity of the species. In 1630 John Parkinson's "white ordinary kind" was the Marseilles and Philip Miller in 1768 said the "small white early" was "sweet." The small (two inches in diameter), turban-shaped fruit has a slightly ribbed skin, which turns yellowish-white when ripe. The white pulp is rich and tapioca sweet. The Marseilles, often named Early White in reference to its bearing season (ripe as early as July 12 for Jefferson), is the hardiest and most productive of all fig varieties today at Monticello.

Angelique, called "white Angelic" by Jefferson, was a popular market fig grown outside Paris and described by late eighteenth-century European fruit writers. Absent from American nursery and pomological lists until later in the nineteenth century, it was described by Downing and William Kenrick ("of excellent flavor"). The small, yellow-skinned, pyramidal-shaped Angelique has white flesh with a fruity, red center.

Brown Turkey is considered among the hardiest and most delicious of all fig varieties. It was introduced from Italy into England by Philip Miller as Brown Naples in the late eighteenth century, and was soon common in American nursery listings. A.J. Downing commented on its productivity and "delicious" red flesh.

Peter J. Hatch, Director
Monticello Gardens and Grounds
January 1996