Col de Dame Noir

Col de Dame Noir shares the Mallorca, Spain origin documented through Montserrat Pons' collection with the rest of the Col de Dame family, whose name references the fruit's distinctive long neck, said to resemble the high collars fashionable among French royalty historically. The skin is dark brown to black on the outside with red flesh inside. Collectors consistently describe it as having a very complex, rich fig flavor with berry undertones and medium sweetness — "one of the finest tasting figs in the world" by more than one grower's account. If left to hang on the tree, the sugars and pulp concentrate further, producing a clear delineation between the meat and pulp when cut open, a trait collectors specifically look for. It has a small seed crunch, no cavity, a tight eye, produces one crop, does not require pollination, and is considered well suited to potted growing, though it needs a genuinely long, sunny season and lots of heat to ripen well.