What is the difference between Rust’s Osborn Prolific and the one common in England?
@Schlecht
Several cultivars have been sold or distributed under the name “Osborne Prolific” or some variation. A portion of them are Archipel, which has a breba and main crop. Another portion are “Osborne Prolific” – which rarely have a breba crop, and if so it is only a few figs. The remainder are something else entirely, for example Brunswick.
1 Like
I see, so the one with the pronounced caramel-like taste is this Rust one. I wonder what the English one is like?
I read on the fig database that Osborn Prolific seems to have non-mediterranean fig genetics, I assume that is referring to the Archipel fig.
Figs are too complicated for me to understand. I’ve heard of people ordering the same fig from three different sources and they all turn out to be distinct plants 
Does not help with the sixteen separate synonyms for each variety 
Ficus carica subsp. carica never existed as wild plant. It is a product of human cultivation. The wild parents include F. carica subsp. rupestris, F. johannis subsp. johannis, and F. palmata. The uncultivated populations of the first two occurred in Anatolia and the third in the Arabian peninsula.
1 Like
The two varieties of figs that i grow the most of for fresh market sales are Olympian and Neveralla. Both of these put on massive amounts of breba for me.
I have noticed that the Neveralla is commonly also refered to as Osborn Prolific. I have seen no evidence to link the two and i imagine it is probably just another case of the ignorant playing follow the leader.
1 Like