- Heirloom
- Pear
- 80 (estimated) days to maturity (from transplant)
- Indeterminate
- Black
Japanese Black Trifele
Heirloom pear from Russia. Russian despite the name: dark and pear-shaped, often with green shoulders. Ready in about 80 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Sep 9, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Fruit type
- Pear 4–6 oz (110–170 g) · Pear-shaped (estimated)
- Leaf type
- Potato leaf
- Days to harvest
- 80 days (estimated) from transplant · Mid-late
- Plant height
- 6–8 ft (180–240 cm) (estimated) Tall
- Spacing
- 24 × 35 in (60 × 90 cm) (estimated)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Position
- Handles open positions
- Growing sites
- Greenhouse · Polytunnel · Open ground
- Container growing
- Not suited to pots
- Difficulty
- Moderate (estimated) 3/5
- Skin
-
- Black
- Interior
-
- Red
Plant size and habit
Tall · Indeterminate
6–8 ft (180–240 cm) (estimated) · Potato leaf
Japanese Black Trifele is an indeterminate plant that keeps growing and setting fruit until frost; it needs a stake, cage, or trellis for the whole season. Expect a plant of 6–8 ft (180–240 cm).
Flavor
“Russian despite the name: dark and pear-shaped, often with green shoulders.”
Growing calendar
80 (estimated) days from transplant Mid-late
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 6–8 (estimated) weeks before your last frost date. Look up your last frost date by ZIP code →
Disease resistance
No documented disease resistances — protect this variety with good airflow and crop rotation.
Uses & tags
- Fresh & salads
- Slicing
- Roasting
- Novelty color
- High flavor
- Rare collector
Origin
Despite the name this variety is Russian rather than Japanese: a commercial variety originally called Yaponskiy Trufel Chernyi that reached North America under a mistranslated name and kept it. The shape is closer to a Bartlett pear than to anything else in the catalogue, on a potato-leaf plant. The flesh is dense and dark; growers on Tatiana's TOMATOBase rate the flavour anywhere from average to very good.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
Prices rechecked dailyAll photos
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Japanese Black Trifele tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover -
A truss of Japanese Black Trifele tomatoes -
Japanese Black Trifele tomato plant in a garden bed with ripe fruit on the vine -
A ripe Japanese Black Trifele tomato held in a gardener's hand -
Freshly picked Japanese Black Trifele tomatoes -
Japanese Black Trifele tomato sliced in the kitchen
Questions
How do you grow a Japanese Black Trifele plant?
A Japanese Black Trifele plant grows 6–8 ft (180–240 cm) tall (estimated). Space plants 24 in (60 cm) apart in rows 35 in (90 cm) apart (estimated). Start seed indoors 6–8 weeks before your last frost (estimated); it germinates in 7–14 days (estimated). It needs full sun.
How long does Japanese Black Trifele take to mature?
Japanese Black Trifele is ready in about 80 days from transplant.
Does Japanese Black Trifele need staking?
Japanese Black Trifele is an indeterminate plant that keeps growing and setting fruit until frost; it needs a stake, cage, or trellis for the whole season. Expect a plant of 6–8 ft (180–240 cm).
Can Japanese Black Trifele be grown in a container?
Japanese Black Trifele is better suited to open ground or a greenhouse bed than a container.
Is Japanese Black Trifele resistant to disease?
No disease resistance is documented for Japanese Black Trifele.
