Ficus carica Seeds | Hardy Chicago Fig Fruit
LATIN NAME: Ficus carica
COMMON NAME: Hardy Chicago Fig
Plant Profile
Hardy Chicago Fig (Ficus carica) is a deciduous shrub in the mulberry family. The hardy Chicago fig is proof that figs do not need a Mediterranean summer. Broad, deciduous shrub or small tree carries large, deeply lobed, rough-textured leaves and small, pear-shaped fruits that ripen through warm season, sweet and full-flavoured even in cool short summers. Plant is one of toughest of figs, standing cold far better than most, and it is a fine, generous fruit plant of small garden. Its flowers draw a steady traffic of bees and other beneficial insects. Each of these traits is modest on its own; together they make a garden-worthy plant.
Science & Biotechnology
The fig has fed Mediterranean civilisations for eleven thousand years, and its pharmacy is pragmatic: the dried fruit is a fibre-rich, gently laxative food — fig syrups were a standard household laxative — while the milky latex contains ficin, a protease enzyme still used to tenderise meat and studied for antiparasitic and wart applications. Fig leaf and latex contain furanocoumarins that can cause photodermatitis on sun-exposed skin, a real caution for gardeners pruning in summer. Leaf extracts have shown modest glucose-lowering effects in small studies. Few fruit trees offer so much for so little care.
Botanists studying the mulberry family regularly include Ficus carica in comparative work, and the species also appears in horticultural trials aimed at gardeners and growers. The hardy Chicago fig has an unusual story in plant science, studied for small, pear-shaped fruits that ripen in cool short summers and tough ways of the plant. The upshot for anyone sowing it is reassurance — cultivated stock of this plant has a long, well-documented track record.
Uses & Benefits
Beyond its ornamental appeal, Hardy Chicago Fig has the practical versatility that makes a plant worth growing from seed year after year. The hardy Chicago fig is a tough, generous tree of small garden. Large, deeply lobed leaves give plant a bold, handsome presence, and fruits are a fine, easy treat of late summer, eaten fresh or dried. The hardy Chicago fig is one of toughest of figs, standing cold far better than most, and small, pear-shaped fruits ripen through warm season even where summers are short and cool. Getting it going is easy; keeping it going is easier still.
Figs are ancient functional food: fiber-rich, gently laxative through their ficin enzyme and mucilage, and the latex was a traditional wart remedy. Fig leaves and bark appear widely in folk medicine across the Mediterranean and Asia.
Growing from Seed
Hardy Chicago Fig grows readily from seed. Sow the seed evenly over the surface and cover lightly, using a loose, well-drained seed compost, and keep it just moist in bright light until the seedlings are well up. Move strong seedlings into individual pots, keep them in good light, and set them out when the weather and their size agree.
Our Take
Once established, Hardy Chicago Fig largely looks after itself. Beginners will find it patient of imperfect technique.
Related Reading
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