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Plant Identification Learning Module:
Fruits & Nuts

Fig (Ficus carica)

The fig is usually a deciduous, multi-trunked shrub in Florida. Leaves are simple, large, thick, bright to dark green, with three to five lobes; shiny above but dull or fuzzy below. The fruit are somewhat "pear-shaped," with a wide, flat bottom narrowing to a pointed top. When the fruit ripens, the top may bend, forming a "neck." Figs can be brown, purple, green, yellow or black, and vary in size. The fruit is fleshy with an "eye" leading to a cavity inside. The skin is slightly wrinkled and leathery. The fig flowers develop inside the fruit and cannot be seen. Seeds are either absent or inconspicuous. Figs are grown throughout Florida.