Stark Earliest (Scarlet Pimpernel)

Orig. in Orfino, Idaho, by Douglas Bonner. Introd. in 1944. USPP 642; 19 Sept. 1944; assigned to Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co., Louisiana, Mo. Parentage unknown; discovered about 1938. Fruit: size averages 2 1/4 inches in diam.; oblate; calyx open; skin yellow, cherry-red blush, attractive, thin, tough, smooth, waxy, dots russet; flesh yellow, firm, tender, sprightly subacid; ships well; ripens early, before Yellow Transparent and Close, about with June Wealthy, harvested over an extended period; a good culinary variety. Tree: large; vigorous, spreading; hardy; bears regularly.