1) I pronounce them pretty much the way they are spelled. I don't know if it is correct, but if one did the same, I would know what they were talking about. 2) One of the great mysteries of life. There are several reasons for the great confusion. First, there is a long history of figs. Many people have transplanted figs from "home" in new territories (witness all of us in the forum). But as we migrate, the trees are left for someone else to discover and rename. Secondly, figs do not respond the same in differing environments (ever wonder why the same wine from different countries taste different). It has been shown a few times within the walls of this forum figs having differing characteristics from one region to the next. So If I a tree that I recognize with certain features in Texas as one variety, I might not recognize it as the same tree in NJ. A third issue is mislabeling in the nurseries. Whether it is a case of ignorance, laziness, carelessness, or unscrupulous behavior, the result is the same. I once spoke with the gentleman who's nursery supplies the local big box stores about a fig I bought which originated in his nursery. His response was that he received bundles of cuttings from a supplier on the west coast and he potted them up assuming he had received what he ordered. I'm sure there are other reasons, as well (mutations, forgetfulness, translations, alien abductions, etc.) Over the coarse of time, these problems have compounded themselves to the point where there are 800+ varieties, yet some believe if the names were corrected, we would have about 150. 3) Not all synonyms match each other (I seem to remember one variety being a dark fig and its synonym being a light fig). Why??? probably for many of the same reasons stated in 2 4) From the Fig Forum FAQ: "Caprifig  has male as well as female flowers in the cavity of the fruit. When the pollen is transferred from the caprifig to the edible fig by the fig wasp Blastophaga psenes L., the edible fig is said to have been caprified. Usually the fruit of the caprifig is not eaten, but there are a few caprifig cultivars that produce an edible mammoni crop (e.g. Enderud and Saleeb)... ..San Pedro -- sets its breba crop parthenocarpically, but requires pollination to mature its Fall crop." Thanks to Gene, I only had to copy and paste. 5) see above james

I did some deeper looking on this site and found an link to a set of amazing photos of his operation The first link is a PDF file describing his figs. By putting this address through the google translator, you will get some idea of what is being said. But, look at the original to see the pictures. http://suanpupunpom.com/Data/390-49.pdf The second link is a SWF (shockwave flash file) that did open up in my browser. It is filled with photos of his plants http://suanpupunpom.com/Sakda/sakda.swf photos The third link http://suanpupunpom.com/Fig/sermrat.swf (also a SWF) is the jewel of his entire site. There are some fabulous photos documenting his fig growing operation outside and inside his greenhouse. It appears to be a very well taken care of collection. The fourth link http://suanpupunpom.com/amnat/amnat.swf did not open up completely for me for some reason. If someone has any luck with this, please say something. It would only load %98 and then stop loading. (I have Safari as my browser) The last link that I discovered http://suanpupunpom.com/Fig/dray.swf (another SWF file) shows pictures of some dried figs. Enjoy, Ingevald

I am certain after all these replies that you have clipped your source tree clear to the ground! But would you put me on your list for next year? Cuttings I should have to trade (growing them on now, going into their second summers) are Alma, Castle Kennedy, CHicago Hardy, a "Giant Celeste" bought on eBay (so could be anything but sure is lively), an "Italian Giant White" (same story; not from anyone known to be a shyster, but from an unknown dealer AngelMan56), plus some things I have coming in the mail from Edible Landscapes, namely, LSU Purple, COnadria, violet de Bordeaux, Lattarula, and Oregon Prolific. Thanks, Lee (ProfLeeJolliffe@gmail.com) PS Don't fear for your plants, I have a huge walk-out basement where they live all winter.

1. 2 of the 8 cuttings that I transferred to cups and vermiculite had a very small amount of mold on one spot. I gave it a good wiping with a damp paper towel and continued. Is that ok or should I be throwing them out? Or separating from the others? You did fine, choosing only perlite to root in. Vermiculite is too water-retentive for my taste. I'd have dipped the cuttings for a minute or so in a 10% solution of unscented household bleach or a 10% solution of 3% H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) to eliminate mold concerns. As Al noted, F carica is a very genetically vigorous plant and very easy to root, as woody plants go. 2. How much should I be watering these since they are 100 percent perlite? I know the key is to keep them moist, but with all perlite they seemed to just drained 100% with little to no retention. Plants most effectively absorb moisture from the microscopically thin film of water on the surface of soil particles, and from water vapor trapped in soil pores, so you want your rooting medium to be damp - not wet ..... and you NEVER want your cutting stuck so deep that it is below the upper limit of any perched water your medium supports. Cuttings need gas exchange, too. You might consider screening & rinsing your perlite, and employing a wick at the bottom of your container. Damp, not wet or soggy is what you're striving for, and 80% humidity with some air movement is a worthy goal. 3. Do they need any sunlight at this point? I don't have them near a window. Technically, they don't need light to root, but the cutting WILL be able to carry on some degree of photosynthesis in the green stem tissues, which will contribute food to what is already stored in cambial tissues. Also, it's best to have any foliage that emerges preconditioned to the photo-intensity that will be the norm for the cuttings. I wouldn't have planned my adventure around the idea I was going to maintain these cuttings indoors for the winter. I'd have timed it so they struck at or just after last frost, so they could go outdoors. Root temps of 65-70* with air temps about 10* cooler are ideal for figs, and eliminate the bottom heat as soon as they strike. If I take fall cuttings, I bury them upside down to callus until figs/mulberry starts to leaf out in the landscape, then I dig them up and pot or plant. I get near 100% success every time, and don't have to fuss with them and watch them decline over the winter. There's soo much more that COULD be said ...... Any questions? Al