Louisiana United States. Developers: O’Rouke, E.N., Department of Horticulture. Comment: Developed through the Lousiana State University Fig Program. Louisiana United States. Donors: Robichaux, Roland, Robichaux’s Pharmacy and Gifts. Comment: Donated to NCGR, Davis 3 cuttings received. Accession was developed. It bears good quality fruit on a young tree. Having a teardrop shape allows it to shed water easily, it rarely if ever splits, it has a skin that acts like a waterproof jacket and Celeste has a high enough brix content to usually avoid fermentation and spoilage. it's easily one of the most humid climate-tolerant figs in existence. This accession bears 2 crops per year, more productive, and has a very pleasing flavor and a very attractive reddish/brown skin color. Introduction So why do we even care about the Celeste fig variety What makes it so special Well. Cold Hardy To: Unknown at this time.ģ0% larger than Celeste, which is LSU’s best fig (per Robichaux). This is a very impressive new type of Celeste tree. It did hang onto its very first three figs the summer of (2012), and they appear to be at least one third larger than the standard Celeste fig fruit. Insignificant flowers form inside a hollow receptacle in spring that, when mature, enlarges and becomes fleshy. We will be testing it to see if it is as cold hardy as the original Celeste sugar fig trees are. Noted for its cold-hardiness, Ficus carica 'Celeste' (Fig) is a deciduous multi-branched shrub adorned with large, thick, deeply lobed leaves, up to 1 ft. Since we still only have one tree, we will keep it inside its first winter, until we can make a back up. So, to make sure we had the true one, we got our start from a well known knowledgeable fig collector. There seems to be a lot of confusion as to which is the true Improved Celeste. ![]() The breeding of this fig was to produce a better Celeste. But, the fig breeders at LSU wanted a Celeste that was not only bigger, but a Celeste that would not drop its fruit in its early years, like most Celeste figs do when stressed. Robert Harper in Connecticut: Celeste has been one of the gold standards for cold hardy figs, for over one hundred years. The Improved Celeste (O’Rourke Not) or ICON is a variety with provenance not intermingled with O’Rourke. Note there are several varieties that are improved celeste types (ie. Can fruit 1st year after dying to ground. Thomas Mayer and the other was, Mark Simon. It tolerates heavy pruning so you can easily sculpt your Celeste into the shape and size you desire. This dwarf fig tree often looks more like a shrub than a tree. When I bought improved Celeste trees from three local growers, they made sure I knew that they were improved Celestes, not O’Rourkes and they were affiliated with the people with the fig program at LSU for many year, so they knew and wanted me to have the correct name of the trees. Celeste figs are purple-bronze with a smooth pink flesh that is speckled with tiny seeds. Maybe they are going to release an Improved Celeste because, though the O’Rourke is an improved Celeste that they chose for the official improved Celeste, improved Celestes are not all O’Rourkes. I don’t recall hearing anything about an improved Celeste, but I didn’t hear everything Dr. Johnson said they were going to release the Scott’s Black and the true SB is red inside-The one that will be released. ![]() Noss: At the Fig Field Day at the Burden Center near LSU, Dr.
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