Alma DFIC# 31

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Developed in: Texas, United States. Donors: University of California.
Maintained by the Natl. Germplasm Repository - Davis. NPGS received: 01-Jan-1982.

Rating of this variety by fig grower, Mr. Ray Givan, in Pomona, Vol. XXIX, No. 1, Winter 1996: Very good; sweet and slightly rich. Info. on this variety from Sanders, Figs in Containers, Fruit Gardeners, California Rare Fruit Growers, Vol. 23, No. 6, December 1991: Medium size, light yellow fruit, sweet, amber flesh. Small seeds and eye. Good fresh or dried. Needs long summer, frost sensitive. Small tree.

DFIC# 31:
http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs...lay.pl?1001093


Alma
aka Falls Gold

California Rare Fruit Growers, Vol. 23, No. 6, December 1991:
Medium size, light yellow fruit, sweet, amber flesh. Small seeds and eye. Good fresh or dried. Needs long summer, frost sensitive. Small tree.

'Alma'is a common fig variety released by the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in 1974. It is a late season variety with very high fruit quality. The fruit skin is rather unattractive, however the flesh has an excellent rich, sweet flavor. The tree is moderately vigorous, very productive and comes into production at an early age. The eye of 'Alma' fruit is sealed with a drop of a honeylike resin that inhibits the entry of the dried fruit beetle and reducing on the tree fruit souring. 'Alma' is very frost sensitive, especially as a young plant and is most adapted when grown no more than 200 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. 'Alma' typically produces little or no fruit in years following severe freeze injury. (2)

A Texas AM University release, highly resistant to fruit rots. Alma’s fruit is a beautiful light yellowish green. Inside, a halo of white meat with a light red center. A good drying variety with a good sugar content and excellent flavor. Continuous cropper through the summer. Small eye, moderately closed with a drop of resin to block the eye from spoiling rain and insects. This fig tree is one of our most cold hardy, surviving 6F. Fruit ripens mid-July `til frost. Zones 7-10. (3)

This heavy bearing, very sweet fig was released from Texas A & M University's breeding program in 1975. It has golden brown skin and very tasty, amber-tan flesh. It has a small eye which prevents spoilage during adverse weather conditions. The plant is a hardy, small tree with a heavy main crop that ripens very late. The medium sized fruit are delicious. Good fresh or dried. Highly resistant to fruit rots. Well adapted to the Southeast but tolerates cooler temperatures. The fruit shape is pyriform with a neck. The leaf has a decurrent base and is unlobed to tri-lobed.

Photos:




Additional Info:
http://figs4fun.com/Info/Info_Alma.html

Additional Photos:
http://figs4fun.com/Thumbnail_Alma.html


References:
1. http://figs4fun.com/Varieties.html
2. http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/f...10/10/figs.pdf
3. http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/...uit-trees/fig/
4. http://www.durionursery.biz/figs.htm

[CliffH Fig Phenom Find all posts View Profile Close CliffH]

Some pictures of ripe fruit and leaves. Grown in Houston, Texas.

[Netstars]

Could you tell me more about the flavor?

[Netstars Fig Phenom Find all posts View Profile Close Netstars]

What do you think of the flavor of this variety?

[CliffH]

Here is what I posted recently about Alma. "They are a honey fig, with almost no seed crunch. I'm not sure if you have ever tasted this, but the closes thing that I can compare Alma to is agave nectar. Very sweet and juicy. But they take a lot of heat and sun to really get properly ripe."

[CliffH Fig Phenom Find all posts View Profile Close CliffH]

Here is a more ripe Alma, collected from the same tree as my other pictures.

[great08]

Late season, sugar spots, honey oozing from the eye, resistant to rain. Sounds like it may have high flavor!

Thank you. I have some cuttings of this type on the way right now.