Stark Crimson pear trees

(Kalle, Red Clapp's Favorite)

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• Picking season: Early
• Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
• Flowering group: 4

Stark Crimson is also known as Red Clapp's Favorite, or Kalle and is an attractive red-flushed early-season pear.

It is best to pick the pears towards the end of summer, as soon as the colour develops, and bring them indoors to ripen. As a guide, this variety is likely to ripen 1-2 weeks ahead of Bartlett.

Stark Crimson organic pear trees for sale

Next deliveries: December 2026

• 1 yeartree on PyroDwarf rootstock29.25€
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years) Bare-root
  

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If you do not hear from us by March you can contact us to pre-order for next autumn.

Growing and Training

Stark Crimson is suited to most climates, however it is susceptible to fireblight.

History

Stark Crimson is a good example of a "sport", a natural genetic mutation. The original Clapp's Favorite was raised by Thaddeus Clapp of Dorchester, Massachusetts in the 1850s, possibly a cross between Bartlett and Flemish Beauty. It is essentially a green pear but with a tendency to show some red flush. In the 1930s Adrian Kalle, a grower in Van Buren County, Michigan, noticed that one of the branches of a Clapp's Favorite tree growing in his orchard had pears that were a solid dark red color - quite different from the normal red-flushed green pears on the other branches. This new form was patented in 1952 and taken on by Stark Brothers nursery under the name Starkrimson, but today it is more widely known as Kalle or Red Clapp's Favorite.

Stark Crimson characteristics

• Attractive featuresAttractive fruit
• What level of gardening skill is needed to grow Stark Crimson?Average
• Is Stark Crimson self-fertile?Not self-fertile
• What flowering group is Stark Crimson?4
• What is the overall disease resistance of Stark Crimson?Poor
• Picking periodmid-August
• What season do you pick Stark Crimson?Early
• How long can you keep Stark Crimson in a fridge?1-3 days
• Food usesEating freshCulinary
• USDA cold hardyZone 3 (-40C)
• Summer average maximum temperaturesWarm (25-30C / 76-85F)
• Where does Stark Crimson originate from?United States
• What colour is the blossom of Stark Crimson?White
• Fruit colourYellow / Red

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