It's called fig leaf absolute, CAS#68916-52-9

Now I wish I knew how to extract it!

I have noticed that they better tasting figs have a stronger odor when smelt at the growing tips. Cup your hands around the end of a brach and inhale!

Always smells a bit like cat urine to me. Not so bad out in the open air, but I've hauled a carload or two of potted fig trees and they're a bit strong for such confined spaces.

We should bottle it and sell it to Calvin Kline as the "new and improved Obsession"

I can see the commercial now... A bunch of naked models lying around with fig leafs covering their private parts. The model in front is holding a fig and says, "Somewhere between hours and hours of care and cursing the bird who ate your fruit lies obsession."

I'll send an email to Calvin with the idea.
~james

James, you should work on tv commercials. You have quite an imagination for it.
Not all the fig trees has the aroma. When I smell the leaves, brings back memories of my childhood. when I used to go through the fields in the heat of the day, picking the ripe figs from huge trees. I would call it "Nostalgia".

Bass

I think this conversation came up last year... I would agree with Bass, the smell does bring back very good memories for many of us. Having said that, getting into a car with a couple of trees can be too much of a good thing.

All this strong odor talk reminds me of a chocolate story. I was bringing back 1800 pounds of Guittard's chocolate from Burlingame, CA to the NorthWest in a regular passenger type van. The smell was very nice at first -- overpowering chocolate smell. But after several hundred miles, it gave me and my partner splitting headaches. Odd eh? The saying "too much of a good thing" still applies!

I thought that the smell was coming from some of the stray cats in the neighborhood. They came close to being endangered.
Guess I will have to put up with it to enjoy the fruits to come. Maybe the cats will protect my figs from the tree rats and birds.

I thought that you were kidding.... BUT:

"In southern France, there is some use of fig leaves as a source of perfume material called "fig-leaf absolute"Âa dark-green to brownish-green, semi-solid mass or thick liquid of herbaceous-woody-mossy odor, employed in creating woodland scents."

Here is a link that might be useful: purdue fig site

Cat pee?! No way!!
More reminiscent of fresh coconut to me - or maybe it just smells like...fig. Anyway, a welcome, comforting smell, to me.

I like the smell of my fig trees. I don't like the smell of cat pee! No comparison for me. My black currants do smell like cat pee. Fortunately, the smell cooks off.

Coconut?? -- I've got to get some cuttings of those figs of yours.

When I got a female kitten 11 years ago, I didn't bother having her "fixed" because she was going to say inside, and I thought only males sprayed. I found out differently. Every time she went into heat, she'd spray my computer mini-tower, the walls, the carpet, etc. I'm pretty tight fisted with money, but soon decided the vet bill would be money well spent. Lucky for me I was only renting at the time, was able to move out and leave that smell behind. I've stuffed my Honda Element with 60+ potted figs before, smelled just like my dear kitty's "Eau de Chat en chaleur".

I love that smell. Everyday when i go outside i can smell it near my figs. I think cat pee smells alot different then it.

gene washdc:

Your poor landlord .. I hope he had a good deposit from you! For that reason we refuse to rent to anyone with cats ... spayed or non-spayed, they still can/will spray and the smell is all but impossible to get rid of.

vieja,
This is starting to wander off the topic of figs, but yes, you're right, the smell can be hard to get rid of under normal cleaning. But have since found cleaning products at the pet store that are designed for that. Haven't known her to spray since, but once when she was upset she did urinate on a nice leather jacket... (For the record and those unfamiliar, there is quite a difference in smell between a litter box and cat spray -- perhaps this why some don't associated the fig leaf smell with cats?).

Recently ran into this website that give major hints about how "absolutes" and "concretes" are made!

Here is a link that might be useful: absolutes and concretes

Our fig tree is right next to our back porch. I made my husband place a raccoon trap under our porch because I was sure that an animal was the source of this urine like smell. It is not a comforting scent to me at all. The heat and humidity of our Ohio summer can make the smell so unbearable that I won't even sit outside. I'm glad to know that critters aren't causing this odor and will have to put up with it, as the delicious fruit is well worth it in the end.

Finally!! I have invited people over to my house to find out what the deal was and where my cats were peeing. Thank you to those that mentioned that cat urine! Now I can sort of rest in peace knowing it's not them but rather the fig tree...

It's a Chicago Hardy Fig that's about 3 feet tall in my living room...can't plant it outdoors since I live in Colorado. It has 6 figs growing right now, guess I'll have to put up with the aroma.

Have had a fig tree/bush growing outdoors in the ground here in Albuquerque for years (@ 5280 ft. elevation & gets to minus 10 or so at times in winter) but have never noticed any odor from it ... perhaps because it is growing outdoors?! I like the tree for the pretty shaped leaves but don't care much for figs so the birds & dogs eat them! Any idea what is in the fruit that gives off this odor?

Try this:

http://www.diptyqueparis.com/personal-fragrances/eau-de-toilettes/philosykos-edt.html

and room spray:

http://www.diptyqueparis.com/home-fragrances/room-sprays/figuier-room-spray-2.html

I find the fig leaf scent absolutely intoxicatingly. My first fig was a panache from home dopot at the beginning of this year. I've gone on to add 10 or so other varieties mostly to fill the backyard with the fig leaf scent. I find that the panache is the most fragrant of the varieties that I have. To my nose it is a very pleasant musk type scent.

Being able to distinguish those who hate the smell of the figs & those who adore it...must be a genetic thing! Just like the smell left by asparagus digested when some people eat it (and I am one who inherited that gene!!!! :(

Now I must go out tomorrow & smell my fig bush .... I think it is one called ? 'Brown Turkey' ?!

If you don't smell anything you might try pinching a leaf to release the scent:)

Well thanks for this thread! I thought it was my cat then started to suspect the fig tree (outdoors) the whole back yard quite small and confined smells like cat urine. It is the TREE

Fig leaves smell like coconut to me, very pleasant, and agreeable to my nose.

Moses

just reading this thread as one side of my fig tree [on the deck ] smells like cat uring and is awful!!! Glad to read above comments re it's the tree but not ALL the leaves smell. Why do some leaves you all comment on smell nice e.g. like coconut??

What I've noticed is that while the plants are actively growing they do have a smell that's reminiscent of urine. However, once the leaves have matured and particularly once they've started to dry out they have a very pleasant sweet smell.

I thought I had a dead rodent somewhere in my dining room or great room and since I have a very sensitve sniffer, I searched everwhere to find the location -- except near my fiddle leaf fig tree. Woh! Turns out that's the source and it actually smells to me somewhat like cat urine or a dead mouse!

Now I've searched online and discovered many people who apparently also have the extra sensitive cat urine/fig sniffer gene. I haven't found anyone else though who is referring to this ficus variety. Anyone else have a smelly fiddle leaf fig tree? Only other info I've found is from sellers claiming fiddle leaf figs do not smell so it's either due to root rot or bacterial infection, and they sell just the products you need -- but my fig is extremely healthy! No dark spots, bugs, etc. I'm wondering if this odor will go away once things warm up more in the spring? My indoor fig is about 6 feet tall and near an east facing window where it gets plenty of light, but the winter days have been short.

Oh come on now, it's not so bad. They give odor to let the pollinators know where they are 🐝

Hurray for pollinators! They are sensitive creatures who need our protection and appreciation, for sure!!! The point is, for some humans, the fig plant odor really is challenging!. A little undserstanding that we all have different sensory sensitivities, pleae. I am learning about neurodiversity and have graowing compassion for autistic people who struggle with what neurotypical people don;t even notice, such as loud music in stores and restaurants.

A previos comment about how some people's urine smells strong after eating asparaus is a great example of how we cannot control these differences. This is not a dualistic debate about who is right and who is wrong about what a tree smells like; I can accept that for some people the smell is wonderful, and for some the smell is non-existent, and for some it is intolerable.

Maybe our endangered pollinators are a warning to the rest of us that many of our modern ways are destructive to everyone - and the autistic or highly sensitive among us serve also as a warning.... When the most vulnerable among us suffer, we all ultimately suffer.

Thank you to any who take the time to read my request for understanding that goes beyond fig trees, and especailly to those who grow in appreciation of our differences. :)