Fig tree (Ficus carica)
Original title: Figueira (Ficus Carica)
The common fig, widely grown in Madeira and Porto Santo, with its local fig varieties and an ancient tree on Porto Santo.
A tree native to the Mediterranean region, widely cultivated in Madeira and Porto Santo (‘holy harbour’). The most prized Madeiran figs are the doces, the martinhos, the brancos, the cotios and the beberas, the last being distinguished from the rest by their black colour and elongated shape. Figs that pass the winter in a rudimentary state and develop early the following year are called lampos.
At Serra de Dentro (‘inner upland’), on the island of Porto Santo, there is a large fig tree which is said to have been planted by the early colonists. It is without any doubt the oldest tree on the neighbouring island.