When you bite into a fresh fig, you’re experiencing something unique in the plant kingdom: a flower turned inside out. This remarkable fruit, which isn’t quite a fruit in the traditional sense, represents one of nature’s most fascinating botanical arrangements and one of its oldest and most intricate partnerships between plant and insect.

The fig isn’t quite what it seems

Most people think of figs as fruits, but botanically speaking, they’re something far more interesting. A fig is actually a syconium, a specialized structure that is essentially an enclosed inflorescence, or a hollow stem that contains hundreds of tiny flowers on its inner surface. When you eat a fig, you’re consuming an entire garden of flowers, each producing a tiny fruit.

The word “syconium” comes from the Greek word for fig, and this structure is unique to the genus Ficus. Unlike apples, peaches, or berries that develop from a single flower, the fig develops from many flowers blooming inside a fleshy, hollow receptacle. What we perceive as the fig’s flesh is actually the swollen stem tissue, while the crunchy texture comes from hundreds of individual tiny fruits, each containing a seed.

The fig ostiole

At the apex of every young fig is a small opening called the ostiole. This tiny passage, barely visible to the naked eye, serves as the only entrance and exit to the fig’s interior chamber. The ostiole is lined with specialized scales that partially block the entrance, creating a narrow passage that only the smallest of creatures can navigate. This architectural feature is essential to one of nature’s most remarkable partnerships.

Ancient alliance with the fig wasp

For over 60 million years, figs and fig wasps have been locked in an evolutionary dance of mutual dependence. This relationship is so specific that most fig species can only be pollinated by one particular species of fig wasp, and these wasps can only reproduce inside that specific fig species. It’s a partnership that makes honeybees and flowers look like casual acquaintances.

Ceratosolen capensis on Ficus sur in Jan Celliers Park, Pretoria by JMK, CC-BY-SA 3.0

The story begins when a female fig wasp, laden with pollen from her birth fig, locates a receptive fig tree by scent. She squeezes through the ostiole, often losing her wings and parts of her antennae in the process. This is a one-way journey. Once inside, she moves among the flowers, laying her eggs in some while pollinating others with the pollen she carried from her birthplace.

The male flowers and female flowers inside the fig mature at different times. Short-styled female flowers are suitable for the wasp to lay eggs in, while long-styled female flowers are only pollinated, not parasitized. This arrangement ensures that both the wasp gets to reproduce and the fig gets pollinated.

After laying her eggs, the female wasp dies inside the fig. Her body is broken down by enzymes produced by the fig, becoming part of the fruit’s internal structure. Meanwhile, her eggs develop into larvae, feeding on the developing seeds in the short-styled flowers.

Several weeks later, wingless male wasps emerge first. They mate with the females (who are still inside their galls), then chew an exit tunnel through the fig wall before dying. The females emerge, collect pollen from the now-mature male flowers, and escape through the tunnel the males created. They fly off to find a new receptive fig, and the cycle continues.

Four types of figs

Not all figs follow the same rules, and they’ve been classified into four main types based on their flowering and pollination requirements:

• Common figs are the most popular for home growing and commercial production. These figs, including varieties like Brown Turkey and Black Mission, produce fruit through a process called parthenocarpy, developing without pollination or fertilization. They don’t require fig wasps to set fruit, which makes them ideal for regions where fig wasps don’t exist. The fruits are technically hollow, containing undeveloped flowers rather than seeds.
• Smyrna figs represent the other end of the spectrum. These figs, such as the Calimyrna (California’s version of Turkey’s Smyrna), absolutely require pollination by fig wasps to develop fruit. Without pollination, the young figs simply drop from the tree. In commercial Smyrna fig production, growers must either have fig wasps present or practice caprification, hanging branches of caprifigs (which contain wasps) among the Smyrna trees.
• San Pedro figs are the diplomatic compromise of the fig world. These trees produce two crops: an early “breba” crop on old wood that doesn’t require pollination, and a main crop that does require pollination to develop. Peter’s Honey is a well-known San Pedro variety.
• Caprifigs are wild or wild-type figs that serve as the breeding ground for fig wasps. These trees produce three crops per year that are generally inedible but essential for maintaining wasp populations. In Mediterranean agriculture, caprifig branches have been used for centuries to pollinate Smyrna-type figs.

The fig tree’s place in the plant kingdom

Figs belong to the genus Ficus within the mulberry family (Moraceae). This genus is remarkably diverse, containing around 850 species ranging from the common edible fig (Ficus carica) to massive tropical trees and even small creeping houseplants.

Ficus carica, the species that produces the figs we eat, is native to the Mediterranean region and western Asia. It’s a deciduous tree in cooler climates but may be evergreen in tropical regions. The trees typically grow 10 to 30 feet tall, though they can reach 50 feet under ideal conditions. They have distinctive large, deeply lobed leaves with a rough texture and a characteristic figgy scent when crushed.

The wood of fig trees is notably soft and lightweight, and the trees contain a milky white latex sap. This sap, present in all parts of the tree, can cause skin irritation in some people and is part of the tree’s defense system against herbivores.

Beyond the common fig: A world of Ficus

While Ficus carica gives us our edible figs, the broader Ficus genus includes some of the world’s most iconic and ecologically important trees. The banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis), India’s national tree, drops aerial roots that become additional trunks, allowing a single tree to spread over several acres. The Thimmamma Marrimanu banyan in India covers nearly five acres and is over 550 years old.

The strangler figs (various Ficus species) begin life as epiphytes in the canopy of other trees. Their seeds, deposited in the branches by birds or bats, germinate and send roots down to the ground. Over decades, these roots thicken and fuse, eventually surrounding and often killing the host tree, leaving a hollow lattice of fig roots in the shape of the vanished host.

Many Ficus species are keystone species in tropical ecosystems, producing fruit year-round and feeding more species of wildlife than any other type of plant. From tiny fig wasps to fruit bats, hornbills, monkeys, and even fish (when figs fall into streams), the ecological importance of figs extends far beyond their role as human food.

The remarkable reproduction strategy

The fig’s reproductive strategy is brilliantly efficient. By enclosing flowers inside a protective chamber, the fig protects its delicate reproductive parts from weather, most predators, and competing pollinators. The ostiole’s small size excludes all but the appropriate pollinator, ensuring that the fig wasp’s services aren’t wasted on flowers she can’t pollinate.

For the wasp, the fig provides a protected nursery where her offspring can develop safely, along with food in the form of fig tissue. The relationship is so finely tuned that the wasps emerge just as the figs become receptive to pollination, and receptive figs release volatile compounds that the wasps can detect from great distances.

This mutualism has driven the evolution of extraordinary biodiversity. Because each fig species typically has its own specific wasp pollinator, the radiation of fig species has been accompanied by a parallel radiation of wasp species. This coevolution has been occurring for so long that figs and fig wasps can be used to study patterns of evolution and biogeography.

Modern understanding and ancient mysteries

Scientists continue to discover new aspects of fig biology. Recent research has revealed that figs use volatile chemicals to communicate not just with their pollinators but also with other figs on the same tree, coordinating their receptivity to ensure that wasps can move efficiently between figs. Some studies suggest that figs can even adjust their chemical signals based on the density of nearby competing figs.

The question of how the first fig and the first fig wasp found each other remains one of evolution’s intriguing mysteries. The relationship is so interdependent that it seems impossible for one to exist without the other, yet they must have evolved from ancestors that were less dependent on each other. Studying primitive fig species and their wasps may eventually help us understand how this partnership began.

FAQs

Are there dead wasps inside the figs I eat?

It depends on the type of fig. Most commercially grown figs (like Brown Turkey and Black Mission) are “common figs” that develop without pollination or wasps; they’re hollow inside with undeveloped flowers rather than seeds. However, Smyrna-type figs do require wasp pollination. In these cases, yes, a female wasp does die inside the fig, but her body is completely broken down by enzymes produced by the fig itself, becoming part of the fruit’s structure. By the time you eat the fig, there’s no intact wasp inside.

Is a fig really a fruit or a flower?

A fig is technically a “syconium,” a hollow, inside-out stem containing hundreds of tiny flowers on its inner surface. When you eat a fig, you’re consuming an entire enclosed garden of flowers, each producing a tiny fruit. So it’s both: a structure containing flowers that each produce individual fruits.

What gives figs their crunchy texture?

The crunch comes from hundreds of individual tiny fruits inside the fig, each containing a seed. What we think of as the fig’s flesh is actually swollen stem tissue, while those little crunchy bits are the individual fruits produced by each of the flowers inside.

Can I grow a fig tree without fig wasps in my area?

Absolutely! Common fig varieties (the most popular for home growing) produce fruit through parthenocarpy, which means they develop without needing pollination or wasps. This makes them perfect for regions where fig wasps don’t exist. Look for varieties like Brown Turkey, Black Mission, or Celeste.

Why do some figs fall off the tree before ripening?

If you’re growing Smyrna-type figs without fig wasps present, the unpollinated figs will simply drop from the tree. These varieties absolutely require pollination to develop fruit. Common figs and the first crop of San Pedro figs won’t have this problem.

How does a tiny wasp find the right fig tree?

Receptive figs release specific volatile chemical compounds that female wasps can detect from great distances. Each fig species has its own unique scent signature that attracts only its specific wasp partner. It’s an incredibly precise chemical communication system refined over 60 million years.

Is fig tree sap dangerous?

The milky white latex sap in fig trees can cause skin irritation in some people. If you’re sensitive, wear gloves when pruning or handling broken branches. The sap is part of the tree’s natural defense system against herbivores.

What’s the difference between a common fig and a Smyrna fig?

Common figs develop fruit without pollination (parthenocarpy) and don’t need wasps; the fruits are hollow with undeveloped flowers inside. Smyrna figs absolutely require wasp pollination to develop, and their fruits contain developed seeds. Common figs are much easier to grow commercially and at home.

How long have figs and fig wasps been partners?

This mutualistic relationship has existed for over 60 million years. The partnership is so specific that most fig species can only be pollinated by one particular wasp species, and those wasps can only reproduce inside that specific fig species.

Are all Ficus plants related to the edible fig?

Yes! The genus Ficus contains around 850 species, including the common edible fig (Ficus carica), massive banyan trees, strangler figs, rubber trees, and even small houseplants like creeping fig. They all belong to the mulberry family (Moraceae).