The Celeste Fig - It's Traits, History & Variations
Updated: 6 minutes ago
Many people may not realize that thousands of fig varieties exist. Over the years, I have grown and trialed hundreds of these myself, investing significant time, effort, and money to better understand them—all for the benefit of fig enthusiasts like you.
This process is ongoing; every year, I test new varieties, gather more data, and uncover new favorites that are well-suited to different regions worldwide. Despite the time and cost involved, this work remains a passion and a continuous endeavor.
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The Celeste Fig
Why care about the Celeste fig variety? What makes it special? It’s one of the most humid climate-tolerant figs available. Its teardrop shape sheds water effectively, rarely splits, and its skin acts as a waterproof jacket. With a high brix content, Celeste resists fermentation and spoilage—ideal traits for growing in humid conditions.
Celeste is remarkably resilient. Light rain doesn’t affect it; its water-repellent skin provides excellent protection. The figs are small, have a short hang time, rarely split, and dry easily on the tree—making it a perfect choice for humid areas.
It’s the standard for humid climates and a cornerstone of LSU’s breeding program, serving as a parent for many of their fig releases.
History & Other Information
According to Condit’s monograph from the 1950s, Celeste was originally called Malta, which might suggest it came from Malta.
However, I strongly believe Celeste originated in France. While Celeste is more popular in the U.S. than anywhere else, the fig tree (Ficus carica) itself did not originate there. All fig varieties were imported, starting with Black Mission in 1768.
A variety called Violette Marseilles, which closely resembles Celeste, was introduced to the U.S. from France in recent years. This connection sparked my belief in Celeste’s French origins. The photo below compares Violette Marseilles to Celeste, showing subtle differences in the neck and stem.
Additionally, a fig variety called Constans, commonly found in southwest France, bears striking similarities to Celeste. Constans is hardy, early-ripening, and performs well in humid conditions. While it differs slightly from Celeste, the eating experience and interior pulp are nearly identical. Constans and Celeste are likely closely related or that one is a mutation of the other.
Celeste’s popularity in Louisiana further supports this theory, as the region experienced a large influx of French immigrants who brought fig cuttings with them. A notable nursery, Becnel, operated by a French family, was responsible for importing the Smith fig variety from France, suggesting similar pathways for Celeste’s introduction.
What Does the Celeste fig Taste like?
In terms of flavor, the original Celeste is your classic sugar fig. It was even once called the "Sugar" fig. A sugar fig is the most simplified and basic version of what a fig is. It's sweet with melon tones and some dried fruit flavor. Essentially, it tastes like a fig in its most basic sense. There's no berry flavor whatsoever.
However, when Celeste is allowed to fully ripen on the tree, it develops greater complexity with a hint of Concord grape flavor. For this reason, I believe it more accurately fits within the "Sugar Berry" flavor profile.
Celeste vs. Blue Celeste
Did you know that there are 30 or more names for Celeste? And because of its widespread popularity, not all Celeste figs are created equal. Variations exist, even among those with shared genetics or similar names.
The USDA’s collection at UC Davis includes a fig variety called Blue Celeste. For a time, there was little solid information about it, leading growers (myself included) to assume it was not just a blue-skinned version of Celeste, but a different variety. Traditionally, growers thought of Celeste as having brown skin like the photos in the gallery above.
Below is a photo of a Celeste fig variety called Violette Marseilles, where you can see blueish skin beginning to form. Under the right growing conditions and with proper hang time, all Celeste variants can develop a greyish-blue or blue hue.
Eventually, I found some old information that confirmed Blue Celeste to be genetically identical to Celeste, which Jon Verdick mentions here:
Generally, I propagate from Celeste JN, GM, IS, and Blue Celeste JN. Those are my favorites, which is why I propagate them. Fruit drop has not been an issue with any Celeste in my collection. USDA / UC Davis DNA testing indicates all of the Celestes and Blue Celestes are the same (I think we tested 19 different ones), but performance here is not the same.
Inspired by Jon, I've been on a mission to evaluate and test as many sources of Celeste as I could. Why not? It's an incredible variety. If I could find one superior to something already very special, that would be amazing.
After multiple years of evaluating and trialing 10 or more sources of Celeste, here is where I stand:
Unexpectedly, a lot of the Celeste sources are almost indistinguishable, unlike the 100+ names for Hardy Chicago. Some sources of Hardy Chicago may visually look the same, but at least they consistently have a slightly different eating experience.
This leads me to believe that most Celeste figs originated from one Mother tree brought to the US. Whereas, Hardy Chicago was brought to the US from many countries and towns of Europe. There were even some brought to the US from the Middle East creating a much wider genetic variability whether that's due to mutation or changes in epigenetics.
In 2022 and 2023, I noted that a source of Celeste called, "The One" had a significantly shorter hang time than the other sources. This was not the case in 2024.
A source of Celeste called Stallion consistently has a redder pulp leading to a more intense berry flavor. Still, a notch in intensity below Black Celeste.
Violette Marseilles a source of Celeste from France shows the most genetic variability I've seen consistent with my theory on Hardy Chicago. The width of the neck is different.
Some sources may be consistently larger than others. The problem is, that I've seen a wide variability of size from fruit to fruit within each tree.
Generally, all of the sources have similar growing characteristics and eating experiences.
The Variations of Celeste
These varieties are not genetically identical to those tested in the section above. Instead, they are either mutations, offspring of Celeste, or entirely different varieties that happen to share a similar name.
Black Celeste
Black Celeste is the perfect example of a mutation of Celeste. The skin color, pulp color, and flavor all have changed drastically. Along with other less-noticeable performance-related characteristics. Truthfully, I sometimes can't believe something like this exists. After eating many Black Celeste and Celeste figs, I am convinced Black Celeste is the best-tasting Celeste fig you can eat. The berry flavor is more intense on this strain of Celeste than any other similar to a blueberry or blackberry minus the acidity.
Black Celeste also has an elegant component to its eating experience that I can't quite put my finger on. It's like you can taste its antioxidants and flavonoids with eat bite. Dare I say, it's more elegant than 99% of the berry figs I’ve eaten.
If I could only grow one Celeste fig, it would be Black Celeste, but for serious collectors, I would argue Black Celeste is different enough than the others to warrant growing another strain alongside it. I always will.
Improved Celeste
This is where things get a little confusing. Improved Celeste is a fig that was bred with Celeste as one of the parents to try and improve it. LSU In the 50s started a breeding program and thus gave birth to figs like LSU Purple, Tiger, Champagne, Hollier, and even a handful of different varieties collectors call "Improved Celeste."
There is a distinction here, however, LSU Purple is what you could consider an "improved version of Celeste," but it is not the variety that many hobbyists refer to as Improved Celeste. Believe it or not, there are quite a few different varieties labeled Improved Celeste at LSU's orchards growers have propagated and spread throughout the online fig community.
My experience in 2024 with Improved Celeste was surprising. The figs did not ripen alongside the earliest main crop fig varieties, the fruits were larger, but the rain and split resistance were considerably worse leading to a lower consistent fruit quality when compared to Celeste. Truthfully, I don't find it to be much of an "improvement" as of yet.
LSU O'Rourke
O'Rourke was selected from a group of seedlings from a cross of Celeste X C1. C1 is a designation given a caprifig obtained from the University of California at Riverside in 1950. The cross was made in 1956 and an individual plant selection was made by E.N. O'Rourke in 1960 and tested as L57-11-103. This cultivar is named to honor Dr. Ed O'Rourke's (Professor) service to the fruit industry.
Below, the first photo is O'Rourke and the second photo is Improved Celeste.
The fruit stalk is longer on O'Rourke than most common fig cultivars.
The eye (ostiole) of O'Rourke is not completely closed when fully ripe compared with a closed eye of Celeste. The internal color is golden with red near the center of the fruit when soft ripe. The main crop of O'Rourke has a 15-day harvest window, similar to Celeste. However, O'Rourke’s season starts earlier and extends into the fall.
O'Rourke is more resistant to defoliation caused by the fig leaf rust [Cerotelium fici and leaf spot complex than Celeste. Unfortunately, I can't comment as to whether these claims are accurate. What I can tell you is that O'Rourke figs have a more amber pulp color leading to a slightly more mild flavor than Celeste.
LSU Tiger
Out of all of the named LSU-bred figs I find that this one is the closest to Celeste other than O'Rourke and Improved Celeste. In my opinion, LSU Tiger is the best fig produced by that program. I don't believe they "improved Celeste," but It’s a clear improvement in terms of size. It can be 2 times larger than Celeste. Some other names you may hear for LSU Tiger are Calderwood & Easton Purple.
Its texture is another clear improvement. The skin becomes leathery when shriveled on the tree (6-7 day hang time). Its skin is its best trait, one of the components of the best fig-eating experience possible. The flavor is similar to other fruity berry figs on this list--Concord grape when perfectly ripe.
In 2022, I noted considerably less splitting (actually none), very little cracking if any, and pretty much the perfect fig every time. However, 2024 was not a great year for Tiger. The harvest ripened all at once. There was high fruit fly pressure at that time from a neighboring tree.
Read more about LSU Tiger here.
Mega Celeste
Mega Celeste is one of the worst figs I’ve ever grown. Its shape is very different from that of Celeste. The variety was named by Herman2, who found and purchased it at a Lowe’s or Home Depot, claiming it was similar to Celeste but much larger.
I can agree with the size comparison—it’s somewhat reminiscent of LSU Tiger in that regard. However, Mega Celeste is a poor performer with far inferior flavor. It likely has no actual relation to Celeste beyond its name.
Malta Black
Malta Black is simply another name for Hardy Chicago. At one point, it was believed that Celeste was in its genetic line. I believe it has no direct relation to Celeste. The confusion stems from Condit's monograph where he mentions Malta as a synonym for Celeste and quite possibly its original name.
Southern Brown Turkey
In the southern United States, Celeste is one of the most common fig varieties, along with Californian Brown Turkey. Often, these varieties are confused with each other. Celeste may go by the name Brown Turkey and Brown Turkey may go by the name Celeste.
However, these two varieties couldn’t be more different. Californian Brown Turkey is much larger, has a different eating experience, and performs poorly in the South due to its low rain resistance, tendency to split, and large open eye.
Adding to the confusion, there’s another fig variety called Southern Brown Turkey, which is simply another name for Hardy Chicago. While it’s possible Southern Brown Turkey was once a unique variety, multiple sources I've tested sold by nurseries today are the same. Hopefully, this can clear up the confusion.
Children of the Celeste Fig
As mentioned earlier, Celeste is an exceptional fig variety, so much so that LSU recognized its value and used it extensively in its breeding program to enhance its traits. The following are fig varieties that LSU released with Celeste in their parentage:
