Fig & Wasp Symbiosys
All it needed was a bite of a fig in the summer garden that got us thinking. The fig wasp and the fruit co-created a real-life tale that deeply touched us. This inspired us to create a brand that celebrates the beauty of co-creation and the power of new beginnings. Here's the science behind it.
Did you know that the fruit of a fig tree is not actually a fruit, but a large cluster of hidden flowers and seeds inside a bulbous stem. Because of this, figs require a specialized pollinator to navigate within the confined quarters of the fruit. This is where the relationship between figs and fig wasps begins.
The queen of the fig wasp is perfectly sized to complete the task, but she often loses her wings and antennae as she enters through a tight opening in the fig.
Once inside, she deposits her eggs and sheds the pollen she carried with her from another fig. This fertilizes the fig and is being digested by the tree, providing nourishment.
This tree-wasp relationship is one of the most solid examples of coevolution and is well-known to biologists. Each species of Ficus has a corresponding specialized species of wasp that fertilizes it. There are consequences for the queen if she does not uphold her part in the relationship. If the pouched wasps did not deliver the pollen they are adapted to carry, the fig tree dropped those fruits, killing the wasp eggs inside. If the fig did not get pollinated, the queen did not get the protection for her eggs inside the ripening fruit.
