Condit Monograph

Bourjassotte Grisé (syn. Grizzly Bourjassotte). Described by Audibert Frères (1854), Hogg (1866), Barron (1868d, 1869a, 1891), Moore (1871), Pearson (1872), Rivers (1873), Luckhurst (1880), Wright (1895), Eisen (1901), Wythes (1902), Bunyard and Thomas (1904), E. A. Bunyard (1925, 1934), O. T. (1905), Starnes and Monroe (1907), Royal Hort. Society (1916), Cook (1925), Arnold (1926), and Preston (1951). Illustrated in color by Wright. Illustrated in black and white by Moore, O. T., Starnes and Monroe, T. (1907), and Condit (1941a, fig. 2, K).

Pearson stated in 1872 that Bourjassotte Grisé was a new name for an old variety, grown for many years at Clumber, England, under the name Blanche. According to Rivers, the Bourjassotte figs were so named because they came from Burjasot, a village in Spain, near Valencia. Barron (1891) reported Bourjassotte Grisé as “the most constantly good fig” he had grown. It has long been highly regarded in England, especially for forcing.

The variety was introduced into California as P.I. No. 18,847, from the Chiswick collection. Outside of collections, two trees of this variety have been located in California; one is in front of the Court House Annex, Santa Ana; the other is in the garden of Mr. Robert Gallegos, Mission San Jose. At both of these places and at Riverside, the production of brebas is very light, and dropping of green, immature figs of the second crop is heavy; apparently, this is an example of partial or incomplete parthenocarpy.

Tree fairly dense, vigorous; terminal buds violet. Leaves medium, mostly 3-lobed; upper surface glossy; upper sinuses of medium depth and width; base subcordate; margins coarsely crenate. The following description is taken from fruit borne by trees at Riverside, Los Angeles, and Fresno.

Brebas few, many not maturing properly, medium, turbinate, with broad, flattened, or somewhat depressed apex; color greenish bronze, or violet; white flecks conspicuous; pulp dark strawberry; quality fair.

Second-crop figs medium, 1-1/2 to 2 inches in length, and about the same in diameter, pyriform to oblate-turbinate, with short, thick neck; average weight 38 grams; stalk short; ribs slightly elevated, hardly prominent; eye medium, open, scales tinged with violet; white flecks numerous, conspicuous; color greenish violet, darker at the apex, many specimens showing a green zone persisting around the eye and on the sides; pruinose bloom well marked; pulp strawberry; quality fair. (Plates 10; 11; 12; 25, B.)

Caprified specimens with external color violet-brown; pulp blood red; flavor subacid, rather strong.