Dragon Fruit: A Stunning Garden Addition

The dragon fruit is found on a night-blooming cactus called Hylocereus undatus, and many backyard gardeners are increasingly growing this cactus vine in their home gardens. It has slowly gained popularity due to the fruit’s reputation as being “packed with nutrients,” and it is also easy to grow. It is a very versatile fruit easily added to salads, smoothies, jams, juiced, yogurt cups, or simply “peel and enjoy.” You might even see the name dragon fruit added to soaps and candles.

Consumers are seeing more of this fruit in the produce section of their local market, but these are mostly imported from other countries. You will find the dragon fruits in the “exotic” fruit section along with the rambutans, guavas,

and passion fruits. Its popularity rose with the shift towards natural, nutrient-rich fresh fruits. During the summer months, you might be lucky to find them at a nearby Farmer’s Market, which means they are locally grown and ready to eat.

They are called dragon fruits because their outer skin looks like dragon scales with bright pink skin and green flame-like spikes. Legend says dragons spat it out during battle, but in reality, it grows on a night-blooming cactus vine. Despite its fame in Southeast Asian countries, this fruit comes from Central America, so the dragon fruit’s name is all about looks and legend.

Common Names in English are strawberry pear, dragon fruit, and night-blooming cereus. In Spanish it is called pitahaya, tuna, nopal, and pitajaya.

Everything about the dragon fruit cacti lends itself to a standout appearance in a home garden. The large, showy fragrant white flowers are nocturnal, opening their blooms at night. By the time you discover them in the early morning, they are slightly wilted. The dragon fruit plants are also “hermaphroditic,” meaning they have both male and female reproductive organs on the same plant. As the flowers open at night, they are pollinated by nocturnal animals or insects like bats or moths, but still have the ability to self-pollinate.

The fruit is oblong and fleshy, and either bright pink or yellow depending on the variety, with green scales. The inside pulp or flesh may be white, red, or magenta depending on the species, and speckled with tiny black seeds similar to kiwi seeds. It has a mildly sweet, tangy taste, depending on the variety.

Dragon Fruit varieties include:

Red dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus): This is the most common variety, known for its bright red skin and white flesh. It has a sweet, slightly tangy flavor. This is the variety most commonly available at local markets.

Yellow dragon fruit (Hylocereus megalanthus): This variety features a yellow skin and white flesh, with a sweeter taste than the red dragon fruit. This is mostly an imported variety and may cost more per pound.

Pink dragon fruit (Hylocereus costaricensis): This variety boasts pink skin and bright red flesh, with a slightly tart flavor. This variety is larger in size and is an imported variety.

I got my dragon fruit as a cutting from a friend who grew the white pulp variety. It is easily started in a container and once a robust root system is established, you can transfer it to an area where it can climb up a tree trunk or a trellis. The weather in Southwest Florida is the perfect excuse to add a touch of the tropics to your garden, and you don’t have to wait long to enjoy the sweet-tasting rewards of a dragon fruit. You will get a lot of questions about the eye-catching scaly fruit hanging from the tip of a cactus vine; what better way to invite them for a taste.