Peau Dure

Photo : Сергей Галищев  (Sergey Galishchev)

Voici la traduction en englais d’un livre Russe :

СОРТА ИНЖИРА

Н.К. АРЕНДТ, кандидат сельскохозяйственных наук

ТРУДЫ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОГО НИКИТСКОГО БОТАНИЧЕСКОГО САДА ТОМ 56
Ялта, 1972

Je tiens a remercier Sergey Galishchev pour son aide et pour sa passion des figuiers.

Peau dure.

The variety was received twice: in 1901 under the title of France and called Caucasian Black – from Abkhazia. It has synonyms: Peldure, Verte Brune, Peau d’Ane (Eisen, 1901). The descriptions whick was given by Starnzom and Monroy (1907) correspond to Peau dure growing in Nikitsky Botanical Garden.
Peau dure gives one year fruit crop. Condit (1955) reports that this variety has two crops according to the French authors. Nevertheless he gives a description of appropriate varieties growing in Nikitsky Botanical Garden. Peau dure is partly partenocarpic. In favorable cultivation conditions variety can develop parthenocarpic fruits. In the context of Crimea it require additional pollination. Fruits ripen in September.
Peau dure are fast-growing trees, tall, with long spreading branches and a round, wide open crown. Annual shoots are of medium thickness, brown, slightly greenish, with round lenticels on the nodes. Terminal buds are large, strongly pointed, beveled, red. The inflorescence is a small, asymmetrical, rounded, with a drawn-out base, turning into a long (1-1.2 cm) and a narrow neck (0,4-0,45 cm). Peel is the green, with strongly convex edges, dented on the top with a red bulging eye. The leaves are large, with thin, rather short, slightly pinkish petioles and truncated bases; 5 lobes strongly (3/5) incised, thin, dark-green, shiny, hard, bottom – short-haired, bright-green. Edge is of wavy or jagged. The central lobe is large, with a narrow, long base and strongly expanded portion closer to the top, often a second incision. The average lateral lobes long and narrow, slightly expanded in the middle.
Fruits are medium size (5,2X3,4 cm), weighing 40-45 g, oval, with a thick, rather short neck on the stem 0.5-0.7 cm. The skin is very thick, tough, olive at the stem and buds, with almost continuous violet – brownish blush, brighter on the edges. Skin pubescence is short but tough. Waxy film is medium. Ribbing is slightly noticeable. Scales eye yellow-brown, small, closed. Bottom side of fruit creamy-white and flesh is pink or reddish, with a small cavity, very sweet, nice, with the scent. The fruits are well dry up on tree and tasty. However ugly outer color and very rough skin is doing this variety of unpromising for industrial cultivation.