caprification


Also found in: Encyclopedia.

cap·ri·fi·ca·tion

 (kăp′rə-fĭ-kā′shən)
n.
A method of assuring pollination of various edible figs in which groups of pollen-bearing caprifigs are hung from trees of edible figs of the same species, allowing the fig wasp Blastophaga psenes to carry pollen from the caprifigs to the female flowers of the edible varieties.
[Latin caprifīcātio, caprifīcātiōn-, from caprifīcātus, past participle of caprifīcāre, to ripen figs by caprification, from caprifīcus, caprifig; see caprifig.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

caprification

(ˌkæprɪfɪˈkeɪʃən)
n
(Horticulture) a method of pollinating the edible fig by hanging branches of caprifig flowers in edible fig trees. Parasitic wasps in the caprifig flowers transfer pollen to the edible fig flowers
[C17: from Latin caprifīcātiō, from caprifīcāre to pollinate figs by this method, from caprifīcus caprifig]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

caprification

the pollination process of figs, in which fig wasps, attracted by the caprifigs, or inedible fig-fruit, pollinate the figs. — caprificator, n.
See also: Botany
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Translations
Mentioned in ?
References in periodicals archive ?
carica, was introduced to South Africa from California in 1908 for the caprification of non-parthenocarpic fig varieties that otherwise would fail to produce edible fruits (Wohlfarter et al.
Fig wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Agaonidae, Pteromalidae) associated with Asian fig trees (Ficus, Moraceae) in southern Africa: Asian followers and African colonists
The cultivar Zidi (Smyrna type) with absolute need of caprification is well spread in the country for its high commercial value and gustatory good quality which is appreciated by the consumer.
POMOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FIG (FICUS CARICA L.) CV. ZIDI IN DIFFERENT AGRO-ECOLOGICAL ZONES OF TUNISIA
The tree bears large fruit, thanks to the help of the aptly named "fig" wasp who cross-pollinates this species with the Capri fig trees, a process known as "caprification." With the help of "the birds and the bees," the Calimyra Fig bears large yellow fruit with an amber pulp.
Figs

Dictionary browser ?
Full browser ?