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Well, this may be a sensitive topic given one or two recent threads posted here, but what the hell - the world doesn't stop for coincidences - due to a ripe fig picked this afternoon, I think I've figured something out:
I think now that the fig that was sold to me as Binello (and that I've subsequently traded and resold after enjoying its fruit) is actually Brooklyn White. Both the leaves and fruit exterior of these cultivars can appear to be very similar but they are distinct cultivars, especially as shown by their different colored and tasting pulp.
Today I picked the year's first in-ground "Binello" fig (after total top kill), and I tasted it and examined the leaves and compared both to in-ground total top kill Brooklyn White figs that have just begun to ripen too and I can see no difference. They ripen at the same time and they look and taste the same and the leaves are the same, and the fruit pulp is the same color.
So, is it Binella/o or Brooklyn White? I did some more research. Pictures somewhat but especially comments show that Binella/o like Kadota is a honey fig interior, amber, whereas Brooklyn White is a berry fig interior, strawberry. Thus, my so-called Binello, I can only conclude, is actually Brooklyn White. It looks like everybody else's Brooklyn Whites and like my own Brooklyn Whites, which have ripened this year for the first time, providing opportunity for immediate first-hand comparison. That this fig is apparently Brooklyn White rather than Binello is good news for cold region growers, which is exactly what I had claimed the Binello was, an excellent cold region fig.
Apparently no one picked up on the wrong interior color of my so-called Binello when I posted pics of it last year at F4F. Nor did I. I bought the "Binello" from a grower in New Jersey. He told me, when I inquired a couple years ago about his source, that a long time widely respected fig grower had told him that the fig was Binello. He told me the "expert's" name, so I didn't doubt it.
My understanding is that the proper name for Binello is actually Binella. My understanding also is that Binella may either be synonymous with Kadota or a strain of it. The exterior of my supposed "Binello" does look similar to my Janice Kadota, but the interior is very different. The leaves of my Janice Kadota and Brooklyn White are quite similar also: the side lobes of Janice Kadota can be slightly more spatulate, sometimes. But the different interiors really tell the story.
For now I have to conclude that my supposed "Binello" is actually Brooklyn White. By whatever name, it's by far my best light fig for a cold climate. It's also one of my top few figs of any color for a cold climate: great berry taste, great color, great size, and robust bounce-back from winter.
For anyone who has traded or purchased Binello cuttings from me, be aware that I now have to consider what I sent to you as Binello to actually be Brooklyn White.
I've begun reaching out to those with whom I have traded or sold these. Binello traders and buyers from me, let me know so that I can send you a replacement cultivar that you don't already have.
If you bought "Binello" cuttings on Ebay a few years ago from 06picl like I did, and if you grew them out, and found that they have a red strawberry center rather than an amber honey center then you might reasonably assume that you have Brooklyn White too rather than Binello.
I have no doubt that this was an honest mistake, and actually for me given my cold climate and preference for berry fig flavor, a fortuitous one. However, if you had really wanted a Kadota-like honey fig, or already have a Brooklyn White, it could bother you. I'll say what should go without saying: honest mistakes happen, especially in basically informal realms like these. Nevertheless, I apologize for the mix up. Be in touch if you've received my "Binello" so that we can make it square, and I'll continue to follow up from my end.
A good thread on Binella types: http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussi...adota-variants
My own pics below.
I think now that the fig that was sold to me as Binello (and that I've subsequently traded and resold after enjoying its fruit) is actually Brooklyn White. Both the leaves and fruit exterior of these cultivars can appear to be very similar but they are distinct cultivars, especially as shown by their different colored and tasting pulp.
Today I picked the year's first in-ground "Binello" fig (after total top kill), and I tasted it and examined the leaves and compared both to in-ground total top kill Brooklyn White figs that have just begun to ripen too and I can see no difference. They ripen at the same time and they look and taste the same and the leaves are the same, and the fruit pulp is the same color.
So, is it Binella/o or Brooklyn White? I did some more research. Pictures somewhat but especially comments show that Binella/o like Kadota is a honey fig interior, amber, whereas Brooklyn White is a berry fig interior, strawberry. Thus, my so-called Binello, I can only conclude, is actually Brooklyn White. It looks like everybody else's Brooklyn Whites and like my own Brooklyn Whites, which have ripened this year for the first time, providing opportunity for immediate first-hand comparison. That this fig is apparently Brooklyn White rather than Binello is good news for cold region growers, which is exactly what I had claimed the Binello was, an excellent cold region fig.
Apparently no one picked up on the wrong interior color of my so-called Binello when I posted pics of it last year at F4F. Nor did I. I bought the "Binello" from a grower in New Jersey. He told me, when I inquired a couple years ago about his source, that a long time widely respected fig grower had told him that the fig was Binello. He told me the "expert's" name, so I didn't doubt it.
My understanding is that the proper name for Binello is actually Binella. My understanding also is that Binella may either be synonymous with Kadota or a strain of it. The exterior of my supposed "Binello" does look similar to my Janice Kadota, but the interior is very different. The leaves of my Janice Kadota and Brooklyn White are quite similar also: the side lobes of Janice Kadota can be slightly more spatulate, sometimes. But the different interiors really tell the story.
For now I have to conclude that my supposed "Binello" is actually Brooklyn White. By whatever name, it's by far my best light fig for a cold climate. It's also one of my top few figs of any color for a cold climate: great berry taste, great color, great size, and robust bounce-back from winter.
For anyone who has traded or purchased Binello cuttings from me, be aware that I now have to consider what I sent to you as Binello to actually be Brooklyn White.
I've begun reaching out to those with whom I have traded or sold these. Binello traders and buyers from me, let me know so that I can send you a replacement cultivar that you don't already have.
If you bought "Binello" cuttings on Ebay a few years ago from 06picl like I did, and if you grew them out, and found that they have a red strawberry center rather than an amber honey center then you might reasonably assume that you have Brooklyn White too rather than Binello.
I have no doubt that this was an honest mistake, and actually for me given my cold climate and preference for berry fig flavor, a fortuitous one. However, if you had really wanted a Kadota-like honey fig, or already have a Brooklyn White, it could bother you. I'll say what should go without saying: honest mistakes happen, especially in basically informal realms like these. Nevertheless, I apologize for the mix up. Be in touch if you've received my "Binello" so that we can make it square, and I'll continue to follow up from my end.
A good thread on Binella types: http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussi...adota-variants
My own pics below.
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