The local variety fruit tree nursery is a small project of the Local Varieties Association that was created with the aim of contributing to the conservation and dissemination of the plant heritage of the Balearic Islands through the reproduction of traditional varieties. In this first phase, work has begun on the propagation of the sweet holm oak and several local varieties of fig tree, with the aim of preserving this genetic heritage and facilitating its availability for future recovery and cultivation projects.
To carry out this activity, the entity is registered with the Ministry of Agriculture as a producer of fruit tree propagation material and complies with current regulations on plant health and the issuance of phytosanitary passports.
The reproduction of this material has been based on basic plant material. In the case of the holm oaks, this has been obtained thanks to the collaboration of several private owners, the Menut nursery and different public estates that preserve specimens of holm oak.
In the case of fig trees, the seedlings come from the fig tree collection of They're Dumb New, from the estate of Monserrat Pons in Llucmajor.
We would like to express our gratitude to all the people and entities that have made possible the contribution of the plant material used in this project.
Fruit trees of local varieties
1. Local fig tree varieties
1.1. Albacore
Source: Monserrat Pons i Boscana
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Popular name of the variety: Albacore |
| Scientific name: Ficus carica | |
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Variety description It is one of the best known fig trees in Mallorca. The tree is very well developed, has an irregular and proud crown, is very vigorous and produces a high yield. |
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Cultivation calendar
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1.2. Green
| Popular name of the variety: Green |
Source: Monserrat Pons i Boscana
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| Scientific name: Ficus carica | |
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Variety description It is well known and cultivated throughout the Balearic Islands. The tree acquires a considerable habit in fertile and deep soils, while in less substantial soils, the fig tree develops less and the figs become smaller. The figs are plump, medium and small and have a dark green color. |
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Cultivation calendar
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1.3. From the lady of Sineu
Source: Monserrat Pons i Boscana
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Popular name of the variety: From the lady of the sineua |
| Scientific name: Ficus carica | |
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Variety description The fig tree reaches a medium vigor, with a thick crown, dense branches and foliage, favored by production and very early. The figs are ovate, slightly pointed, which easily wither on the fig tree and hold up showing little ease of detachment. They are light green in color, with a prominent crack. They are symmetrical in shape but very variable in size. The pulp is red, with a fairly sweet flavor when well ripe, they contain many achenes, medium. They are very resistant to rain, to frost and to bitterness, and medium to transport. |
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Cultivation calendar
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1.4. Of the winter lady
| Popular name of the variety: From the winter lady |
Source: Monserrat Pons i Boscana
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| Scientific name: Ficus carica | |
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Variety description The fig tree has a medium-high vigor, although it can achieve good development in orchards or corrals where it is often cultivated, it has thick branches and foliage. The figs are plump, pointed and large, elongated and rigid. The skin acquires a fairly variable coloration where green and purple are combined in different proportions. The pulp is of an intense red color, very tasty and mellow, with an optimal degree of sweetness. They are resistant to rain, transport, bitterness and very resistant to spoilage. |
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Cultivation calendar
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1.5. Lloral
Source: Monserrat Pons i Boscana
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Popular name of the variety: Lloral |
| Scientific name: Ficus carica | |
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Variety description The tree reaches a great development and high vigor, with long branches and very dense foliage, of a marked dark green color. The figs are of a bulging shape, green in color, not very cracked and with a large number of white spots on the skin. They are very resistant to rain and of strong consistency, so they are quite resistant to transport. |
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Cultivation calendar
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1.6. Red
| Popular name of the variety: Red |
Source: Monserrat Pons i Boscana
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| Scientific name: Ficus carica | |
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Variety description The tree is not the most vigorous, but in moist and suitable soils it develops greatly. The crown is slightly irregular but rounded, the branches are thick and have dense foliage. The fig tree is oval in shape, quite large and dark red in color, while the fig tree has an almost conical shape. |
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Cultivation calendar
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1.7. Mirror
Source: Monserrat Pons i Boscana
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Popular name of the variety: Mirror |
| Scientific name: Ficus carica | |
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Variety description The tree has medium-high vigor and development. The crown is oval, with thick foliage. The fig is ovate almost spherical, brown in color and the upper part that surrounds the bud is light green. |
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Cultivation calendar
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1.8. Ox hair
| Popular name of the variety: Ox hair |
Source: Monserrat Pons i Boscana
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| Scientific name: Ficus carica | |
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Variety description The tree has a medium development and short annual growth, but is very vigorous. The fig has an oval, symmetrical shape, of variable dimensions. It is reddish in color, rather earthy. |
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Cultivation calendar
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1.9. White bordissot
Source: Monserrat Pons i Boscana
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Popular name of the variety: White bordissot |
| Scientific name: Ficus carica | |
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Variety description The fig tree has a great development and remarkable vigor. The crown is almost spherical, with very regular branching. This variety is widely used as a pattern for a varietal change, since, as a rootstock, it is excellent. The fig is plump, symmetrical and very uniform in size, without abnormal formations and of a greenish yellow color. It is a very tasty and sweet fruit, even suffocating. |
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Cultivation calendar
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1.10. Martinique
| Popular name of the variety: Martinique |
Source: Monserrat Pons i Boscana
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| Scientific name: Ficus carica | |
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Variety description The tree, especially in suitable, deep and substantial soils, achieves great development and high vigor. The crown is irregular, with a lot of foliage and very abundant production, with figs that ripen late. The figs are rather conical, large in size, black in color, with a dense reticular cracking that is very characteristic of the variety. |
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Cultivation calendar
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1.11. Albacore with red crumb
Source: Monserrat Pons i Boscana
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Popular name of the variety: Red spring albacore |
| Scientific name: Ficus carica | |
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Variety description The fig tree has a good habit and good development. The crown is lofty and well-populated, with stretched branches and dense foliage. The figs are conical, slightly ovate, with a slightly stretched neck, of an intense black color and purple in the upper part of the neck. |
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Cultivation calendar
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1.12. Manresa
| Popular name of the variety: Manresa |
Source: Monserrat Pons i Boscana
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| Scientific name: Ficus carica | |
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Variety description The tree grows well, even in poor soils. The crown is rounded and somewhat dense with foliage. The figs are conical, asymmetrical, uniform and large, of a blackish purple colour. With a thin and delicate skin and pink flesh, the fig has a pleasant taste, but not too sweet. |
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Cultivation calendar
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2. Varieties of sweet acorn oak from Mallorca.
The oak is one of the most emblematic trees of the Mediterranean. The vast majority of wild oak trees in Mallorca produce acorns with a high content of tannins that give them a bitter and astringent taste. But we also find oak trees with "sweet" acorns, which have been used both for animal consumption and also for human consumption (raw, roasted or flour).
In Mallorca, these oak trees have traditionally been propagated through grafting, a specific technique that has been handed down from generation to generation, and which on our island is the only place where this culture is preserved.
From 2019, thanks to the collaboration of Balanotrees and through an Applied Research Grant funded by FOGAIBA, we were able to identify and characterize some of the sweet oaks of Mallorca. Here you can consult the results of this latest project. You can also consult the different varieties or varietal types of oak that we were able to characterize and incorporate into the Catalog of local varieties of agricultural interest in the Balearic Islands.
Sweet acorn holm oaks nursery
The preservation of the varieties of sweet acorn oaks is another milestone in the recovery of Mallorca's cultivated biodiversity and the cultural and gastronomic heritage of our island. For this reason, in 2022 we launched a project to propagate local varieties of sweet oaks using the micrografting technique.
The forest nursery CEFOR Menut, brings the oaks of a year, and Star of Levant He gives us the space to graft and an area inside the greenhouse at his Bio Nursery.
Every year we complete the collections of Can Pistola (Felanitx), the UIB and the public estates of Galatzó and Mortitx, respectively.
In November we started the campaign of grafting bitter oak roots with sweet oak seedlings, thanks to volunteer grafters and those attending the training courses. The seedlings remain for 3 weeks in a hot tube shelf and if they have started favorably, they are transplanted first into trays and then into individual forest pots. Before the summer the saplings are brought to grow and acclimatize in the CEFOR-Menut facilities and at the end of the year they can be planted in the field.
All this is possible thanks to the selfless collaboration of volunteers who help us, both in the transfer and collection of seedlings, as well as in carrying out the grafting and subsequent maintenance.
This project has the support of Mallorca Preservation Foundation, the Estel de Llevant Foundation, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment and the University of the Balearic Islands.
The varieties of sweet acorn oak described so far are the following:
2.1. From Son Horrach
| Popular name of the variety: From Son Horrach |
Source: Association of Local Varieties of Mallorca.
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| Scientific name: Quercus Ilex L. | |
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Variety description Tree with a sparse crown and an elongated trunk. The leaves are elliptical in shape, with an entire-toothed margin and a sharp apex. The front of the leaf is medium-intensity green and the back is gray. The acorn is very sweet, intended essentially for animal consumption, but suitable for human consumption. |
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Cultivation calendar
Very variable, depending on weather conditions and location of the tree.
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2.2. From Avellaneta
Source: Association of Local Varieties of Mallorca.
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Popular name of the variety: Hazelnut |
| Scientific name: Quercus Ilex L. | |
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Variety description Tree with a sparse crown and an elongated trunk. The leaves are elliptical in shape, with an entire-toothed margin and a sharp apex. The obverse is medium-intensity green and the reverse is gray. The fruit (acorn) is rounded and the color is dark brown, without being homogeneous, with 2 colorations present. The pulp is cream-colored and the acorns are very sweet, intended essentially for animal consumption but suitable for human consumption. |
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Cultivation calendar
Very variable, depending on weather conditions and location of the tree.
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2.3. Chestnut from Can Lluent
| Popular name of the variety: From Son Horrach |
Source: Association of Local Varieties of Mallorca.
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| Scientific name: Quercus Ilex L. | |
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Variety description The tree, which usually grows very large, has a very dense and rounded crown. The leaves are ovate in shape, with a sharp apex and entire margin, which have a strong green color on the front and grayish green on the back. It is a variety appreciated for being very productive and giving very sweet and large acorns, intended for both human and animal consumption. |
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Cultivation calendar
Very variable, depending on weather conditions and location of the tree.
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2.4. From the bell, from the chestnut, chestnut
| Popular name of the variety: From the bell, from the chestnut, chestnut |
| Scientific name: Quercus Ilex L. |
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Variety description The tree is very vigorous, with a rounded and moderately dense crown. The leaves are ovate in shape, with an entire margin and a sharp apex. They are medium-intensity green on the front and light gray-green on the back. The fruit, the acorn, is large and sweet. It is elliptical in shape, weighs about 7.6g, has a medium-intensity brown color, with a certain yellowish tone and medium-intensity brown veins. The pulp is cream-colored. This variety is appreciated for the sweetness of its acorns and is intended for both human and animal consumption. It is sensitive to acorn worms, which have historically been used to put them in sieves and hunt birds. |
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Cultivation calendar
Very variable, depending on weather conditions and location of the tree.
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2.5. From the nun Riera (from Son Vinater)
| Popular name of the variety: From the nun Riera (from Son Vinater) |
Source: Association of Local Varieties of Mallorca.
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| Scientific name: Quercus Ilex L. | |
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Variety description Medium-large tree, with a dense crown and elongated shape. The leaves are ovate in shape with a needle-like apex and a serrated margin all the way around. The front of the leaf is intense green, while the back is green-gray. The acorn is a strong brown color, although not homogeneous. It is a productive variety with large, sweet fruit, but with a bitter taste. Due to its size and production, it is interesting for animal consumption. |
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Cultivation calendar
Very variable, depending on weather conditions and location of the tree.
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2.6. Burnt
Source: Association of Local Varieties of Mallorca.
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Popular name of the variety: From Burnt |
| Scientific name: Quercus Ilex L. | |
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Variety description Tree of about 6 m with a sparse crown and a rounded, slightly elongated shape. The leaves are lanceolate-ovate in shape, with a sharp apex and a toothed margin. They have a medium-strong green color on the front and a light grayish-green color on the back. The fruit is an acorn with cream-colored pulp, elliptical in shape, weighing about 5.2 g on average, brown in color, although the same tree can have two colors. It is a productive variety with large acorns appreciated by animals. |
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Cultivation calendar
Very variable, depending on weather conditions and location of the tree.
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2.7. From Pere Andreu
| Popular name of the variety: From Pere Andreu |
Source: Association of Local Varieties of Mallorca.
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| Scientific name: Quercus Ilex L. | |
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Variety description Tree with a sparse crown and an elongated trunk. The leaves are elliptical in shape, with an entire-toothed margin and a sharp apex. The acorn is very sweet, intended essentially for animal consumption, but suitable for human consumption. |
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Cultivation calendar
Very variable, depending on weather conditions and location of the tree.
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Donate to the fruit tree nursery project
The preservation of fruit tree varieties is another milestone in the recovery of Mallorca's cultivated biodiversity and the cultural and gastronomic heritage of our island.
Do you want to graft oak trees?
- Write to us at info@varietatslocals.org if you want to be part of the group of grafters who occasionally help us graft and do other tasks of the sweet oak multiplication project.
- Get trained in the different courses we organize. More information in the section of formation.
Do you want to acquire a sweet oak tree?
The holm oaks are distributed primarily among the partner people interested. Depending on the availability of copies and demand, we will make them available to the general public who wish to purchase them. We will announce this in our newsletter and through our networks.
Although the plants are subject to the relevant health controls, given the prohibition on moving live plant material outside the Balearic Islands, it is not possible to respond to requests from outside our Autonomous Community.
Contact us for more information
You can contact us by emailing info@varietatslocals.org or by calling 722 782 536