Dragon fruit

Lore & Background

The dragon fruit is a hardy and succulent cactus, drought resistant, with long triangular stems. It often intertwines with nearby trees, taking moisture from their bark, and climbs 8 to 10 meters from the ground without penetrating the ground. Its flower is tubular and hermaphroditic, opening only once at night, and its aroma attracts insects; bats are its biggest pollinators in its natural habitat. The fruit is oval shaped, 10 by 6 centimeters, and presents itself from birth as green, turning yellow or red depending on the cultivar, with scaly skin and groups of sharp spines that detach easily. The pulp is smooth, sweet, and soft, with small black seeds; red varieties usually have less sugar than yellow ones. Dragon fruits mainly come in three types: Selenicereus undatus (pink skin, white flesh), Selenicereus costaricensis (red skin, red flesh), and Selenicereus megalanthus (yellow skin, white flesh). The peel is either purplish green or yellow. The red pulp is harder to cultivate and less frequent, but its flavor is more intense than white pulp. The fruits are sensitive to pressure, making them difficult to transport. In Central America they are available from July to December, in Vietnam from January to July, and fruits from Thailand come by plane all year.

Reader's Guide

Dragon fruit holds significance as a globally traded fruit with origins in Central America, now cultivated in regions including Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Qatar, Israel, and Spain. Its cultivation has expanded due to its drought resistance and adaptability to dry tropical climates, though it has escaped cultivation to become a weed and is classified as invasive in some countries. The fruit is valued for its nutritional profile: 90% water, rich in iron, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins B, C, and E, with high fiber content aiding intestinal transit. The seed oil contains linoleic acid, and the red and purple colors are due to betacyanins, including betanin. Culinary uses include flavoring and coloring juices and alcoholic beverages, and the flowers can be eaten or steeped as tea. The main producers are Nicaragua, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Ecuador, Spain, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Qatar, and Israel. Commercial plantings can yield 20 to 30 metric tons per hectare after up to 60 months. The plants rely on nocturnal pollinators and are susceptible to diseases from fungi, bacteria, nematodes, and viruses.

Did You Know?

• The dragon fruit flower opens only once at night and relies on bats as its biggest pollinators in its natural habitat.
• The fruit's red and purple colors come from betacyanins, the same pigments found in beets, Swiss chard, and amaranth.
• The seed oil of both red-fleshed and white-fleshed pitaya contains about 50% linoleic acid.
• The plants can endure temperatures up to 40 °C and short periods of frost but will not survive long exposure to freezing temperatures.