Lagrimas Fig is a California-origin variety discovered by Eric Durtschi in a residential hedgerow, a tree that somehow established itself and thrived despite years of neglect. This modest eight-by-eight-foot tree produces figs with a captivating flavor profile that blends fruity, tropical, sweet, and acidic notes into something genuinely complex and refreshing. The variety bears fruit across multiple seasons, including a reliable breba crop, making it productive throughout the growing year. In full sun, this fig develops into a compact but generous producer, delivering a dynamic taste experience that rewards patient gardeners with layered flavor in every harvest.
Full Sun
—
?-?
?in H x ?in W
—
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
The name itself hints at something extraordinary: a fig that combines tropical sweetness with bright acidity and subtle fruity complexity, creating a flavor that feels alive on the palate. Unlike many figs that settle into simple sweetness, Lagrimas delivers refreshing undertones and genuine depth, making it far more interesting than standard varieties. Its willingness to fruit across seasons, including a strong breba crop, means you're not waiting months for your harvest; the tree starts producing early and continues generously throughout the year.
As a fresh eating fig, Lagrimas is best enjoyed straight from the tree when fully ripe, where its complex flavor profile shines brightest. The combination of fruity, tropical, sweet, and acidic notes makes it excellent for fresh fruit platters where its distinctive taste can be appreciated without competition. Its potential also extends to preserves and jams, where the underlying acidity helps balance the sweetness and creates more nuanced flavor development during cooking.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Pick Lagrimas figs when they achieve full color development and the fruit yields slightly to gentle pressure at the stem end. The figs will drop naturally when perfectly ripe, or you can harvest them by hand just before natural drop to avoid fruit loss. Because the tree bears across multiple seasons including a strong breba crop, monitor regularly from early summer through fall, harvesting as ripeness occurs rather than waiting for a single concentrated season.
Light pruning to shape the tree and remove dead or crossing branches keeps Lagrimas manageable within its eight-by-eight-foot mature size. Because this variety produces a breba crop on previous season's growth, avoid heavy pruning in late winter, which would sacrifice early-season fruit. Instead, prune immediately after harvest to encourage new growth and structure.
Enter your ZIP code to see a personalized growing calendar for this plant.
“Lagrimas Fig emerged from the California gardening community through the keen eye of Eric Durtschi, who spotted the tree growing in a neighborhood hedgerow on June 27, 2019. The property owner had lived there roughly a decade with no clear memory of planting it, suggesting the tree may have been established long before, perhaps brought to the area by an earlier gardener or settler. This spontaneous discovery, shared within the fig-growing community, represents the kind of horticultural serendipity that keeps rare varieties alive; a forgotten tree in a hedgerow became a named variety worth preserving and propagating precisely because someone recognized its quality and took the time to document and share it.”