My Nero Caesar figs turned out to be very small, greyish sweet figs no different than my Celeste figs. In fact, they are identical in fruit and leaf shape. Need I say more?

Thanks Leon.
I already have a Celeste Fig and don't need another.

Leon, did your fig come from TyTy? I had a similar experience in that I ordered two each of two different green figs from them for a total of four plants. The plants I got were scrawney and not as pictured on their website. They turned out to be Brown Turkey.

It appears that the number of cultivars TyTy actually has is greatly exceeded by the number of labels that they have.

Yes, my Nero Caesar originated from the TyTy nursery. I too, thought that I was getting a totally different variety due to the nomenclature but found out otherwise. My Nero Caesar was given to me by a good friend. His mother tree bore the same fruit and he made the same observation about the Celeste.
Frankly, I think trading cuttings or even rooted cuttings from fig collectors is the way to go. I've stopped buying figs from local retailers for the same reason. Until you actually see the fruit, you really don't know what you're getting. Even leaf identification becomes guess work because alot of fig varieties have several different leaf shapes on their trees.

I agree that the Nero Caesar that I bought in 2003 from TyTy is a Celeste variant. The Tennessee Mountain and White Italian that I bought from them were Celeste variants as well and were virtually indistinguishable from a plant that I bought as Blue Celeste from a local nursery. The Nero Caesar figs appear to be Celeste but are slightly smaller than the other variants. In addition, the Nero Caesar tree has been killed to the ground by freezes in Zone 8 Austin, Texas each of the two years I have had it. It is apparently less cold-hardy than some other Celeste cultivars.

Tyty nursery is very famous for mistaking labels... I think everyone that but something from Tyty have something negative to say.
Always buy from a reputable source. You have much better chance of getting the right stuff when you trade with fellow gardeners.

Bass

I'm curious (again) about this cultivar. My experience is the same as that of Joe (mountainman0826). My tree is 4 yrs. old and for the last two years has resided right next to a Celeste of the same age. While the figs are very similar in color to Celeste and the leaves are indistinguishable from Celeste, the "Nero Caesar" figs are MUCH smaller - no bigger than 1/2 to 2/3 the size of my Celeste figs. Also, there is a bit of a difference in the color of the figs too. My Celeste are more brown while these figs predominantly grayish in color - with less brown. Also, the trunk of this tree is much "whiter" or "grayer" than the Celeste of the same size and age. This summer I didn't really do a discriminating comparison of the flavors, but next year I will.

Henry

My "Nero Caesar" cultivar is now about 5 years old. The question about its hardiness has been answered. As the root system matured, the fig became hardier, which has been the case with several of my less hardy figs such as Black Jack (a dwarf variant of California Brown Turkey or San Peiro). The "Nero Caesar" is now a nice-looking little bush pruned to 7 trunks. The figs have improved in size as it has gotten older. They don't appear much smaller than a regular Celeste. There's not really much difference in my other Celeste variants (a couple of which are heirloom figs of Central Texas whose pedigrees date back many years - one found in south Austin, Texas and another in a Lutheran churchyard in Giddings, Texas.) Celeste, Eastern Brown Turkey and Magnolia (Brunswick) are, in my experience, the most common heirloom figs in Alabama or Texas. Leon's advice regarding obtaining rooted plants or cuttings from a reputable collector still holds true. On the other hand, if you are confident in identifying cultivars, you can sometimes pick up nice-sized figs at a bargain at Home Depot, Lowe's, or other chains. If the fig is labeled and fruiting and the fruit matches the known characteristics of the cultivar, then you can take a chance on it. Last year, I picked up a 5-gal. Eastern Brown Turkey and a Kadota for about $5.00 - $10.00 apiece. I only have about 6 or 7 Kadotas under various names (Banana, Binella, White Texas Everbearing, etc.), so, as a compulsive collector, it was absolutely necessary to acquire the fig!

I look forward to scrutinizing the comparison of the figs from my "Nero Caesar" with Celeste next year. In addition to being smaller than the Celeste figs from a tree of the same age I think I remember the figs being more pyriform in shape. It just occurred to me how ridiculous it is to even assume that the fig labeled "Nero Caesar" I got from TyTy is the same cultivar that someone else got. It's possible, but my experience with them is that they simply shipped whatever plant they had in stock in the size ordered. So it would be coincidental at best if my NC, Joe's NC and Leon's NC are all the same fig.

NC is one of several possible "Celestes" that I sent to USDA/UC Davis for a genetic analysis and comparison. Don't have results yet. Seems relatively similar here in SD.