Griotte de Kleparow

Griotte de Kleparow
Leaves and fruit (unripe) of 'Griotte de Kleparow'. When ripe, the fruit is a dark brownish-red.
Genus	Prunus
Species	Prunus cerasus
Hybrid parentage	Either cultivar of Prunus cerasus or hybrid of Prunus cerasus × Prunus avium
Cultivar	'Griotte de Kleparow'
Origin	Klepariv, a suburb of Lviv, 16th century

Griotte de Kleparow (Ukrainian: Череха клепарівська, French: Griotte de Kleparow, German: Kleparower Süssweichsel — literally "Sweet Cherry of Klepariv") is a dark-red morello, or Griotte, type of cherry which originated from the outskirts of Lviv in western Ukraine.

The 'Griotte de Kleparow' was first selected and grown in the historical area of Klepariv, now a suburb of the city of Lviv, Ukraine. It is of unknown parentage, although it is probably a cultivar of sour cherry (Prunus cerasus). One source states that it is a hybrid of sour cherry and wild cherry (Prunus avium).

In 1555 Lviv's city council issued a law ordering its citizens to protect this variety of tree and encouraging its cultivation. This variety became very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, and its cultivation spread to other parts of Europe, the United States, and Australia.

It was first botanically described in 1792 by Johann Kraft in his Pomona Austriaca. The first known use of the term 'Griotte de Kleparow' was in Great Britain in 1831, and thereafter this was the most commonly used name internationally in botanical and pomological literature.

In Ukraine, the cultivation of 'Griotte de Kleparow' was neglected in the 1930s and it probably has disappeared. Worldwide, the number of cherry cultivars grown has been dramatically reduced, and this variety is no longer commercially grown. It is probably extinct in most countries, though there is some interest in its preservation in France by a heritage fruit society.