Also known as dragon fruit and strawberry pear, this unusual fruit probably originates from Southern Mexico. It grows on a branching cactus with fleshy stems reaching from a few centimetres to 6m long in mature plants, which will put out aerial roots, and which require support. The fruit is the size of an apple, brilliant red in colour, with a texture similar to a melon, and is pleasantly sweet in flavour. Even if it did not taste as good as it does, it would be worth growing for the colour it can add to a fruit salad, and for the unusual way it grows. The flowers are ornate and beautiful, but bloom at night and only last for one night. Best grown under cover. You will need two plants for pollination. Either one of each colour, or you can have two red as I now have red from two different sources.
We have several varieties.
VERY POPULAR PLANT, NEXT BATCH WONT BE READY TILL LATE SUMMER
RED - Red flesh
RED B - Also Red flesh but slightly different
RED / WHITE - Like the red pitaya,requiring the same conditions, but the red fruit is white-fleshed. You will need two plants for pollination, and it is best to take one of each colour, to ensure you are getting genetic diversity as they have been propagated from cuttings.
YELLOW - Like the red pitaya,requiring the same conditions, but the fruit is yellow-fleshed, and reportedly more highly prized than the red fruit, though the one I tasted was less tasty. It is milder and creamier in texture. You will need two plants for pollination, and it is best to take one of each colour, to ensure you are getting genetic diversity as they have been propagated from cuttings.
PITAYA - Hylocereus Undatus, Dragon Fruit)
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