Colonel Littman's Black Cross Fig

Colonel Littman's Black Cross has a real, specific, well-documented naming origin, corroborated across multiple independent collector sources: Colonel Littman obtained the original cuttings from a grower named Mr. Cross in Tallahassee, Florida, and named the resulting fig "Black Cross," combining Cross's surname with the fruit's dark skin color. The variety was further propagated and distributed from Gainesville, Florida. Its true deeper origin before reaching Mr. Cross is genuinely unknown, though growers have specifically ruled out several look-alike candidates — it is documented as definitively not Black Mission, Black Jack, Petite Negri, or Violette de Bordeaux, based on differences in skin color. It briefly saw wider commercial availability through the nursery Just Fruits & Exotics before their mother tree reportedly died. The fruit is medium-sized, developing a striking dark purple to nearly black skin with a tight, closed eye that helps resist splitting in humid climates, and a rich, complex berry flavor with a touch of acidity that has made it one of the most sought-after modern American collector figs. It ripens mid-to-late season and is self-fertile. Growers who have compared it directly note it as a genuine improvement over Black Madeira specifically for humid-climate growing, thanks to its better split resistance from its teardrop shape.