Black Tartarian

Black Tartarian cherry
Image of Black Tartarian cherries, from the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
GenusPrunus
SpeciesPrunus avium
Cultivar'Black Tartarian'
OriginCircassia, pre-1700s

Black Tartarian (originally Ronald's Large Black Heart) is an heirloom cultivar of cherry. It was brought from Circassia to England in the 1700s by a man named Hugh Ronalds, and from England it was brought to the United States in the 1800s.

The fruit of the Black Tartarian is about one inch in diameter, with a unique taste and texture, but too soft for commercial shipping. It is primarily grown as a pollinizer for other cherry varieties.