Dragon Fruit, A Vibrant Superfood For Seniors – Demystified
The scientific name of the Dragon fruit is Hylocereus Undatus, however, it goes by many other names like pitaya, pitahaya, and strawberry pear. The two most common types of dragon fruits have bright red skin with green scales on the skin that resemble a dragon – hence the name “Dragon Fruit”.
Dragon Fruit Colours
Dragon fruit’s flesh can range from white (with pink, yellow or orange skin) to hot pink or deep purple with tiny black seeds. The colour of the flesh determines the flavour. For example, whitish dragon fruits can have a mild taste, and darker flesh can be sweeter and juicier.
Dragon Fruit Types
There are five kinds of Dragon fruit, and these can be subdivided to make different variations. Let’s discover these delicious, nutritious dragon fruit varieties. Many of these fruits are readily available at local grocery stores and farmer’s markets.
Different Kinds Of Dragon Fruits
Sour Dragon Fruit
Stenocereus type of dragon fruit can be found in the dry regions throughout America. Sour dragon fruit is a refreshing fruit with a more spicy and sour taste. People in the northwestern Mexican region continue to harvest this fruit. They are also well-known for their name, “ziix is ccapxl,” which means “things whose fruits are sour.” The seeds are edible, and they have a robust nutty flavour.
White Dragon Fruit
They are also termed Hylocereus Undatus or Selenicereus Undatus. This dragon fruit is white in the flesh with pink skin, and it is the most widely grown dragon fruit. These cultivars include Thompson, the largest and most popular dragon fruit, at up to 1.5 pounds. Harpua has a semi-sweet pulp that tastes almost like a grape. Neitzel, a Californian native, is sweeter and more delicious when chilled. Popular white dragon fruit includes L.A. Woman’s Seoul Kitchen, David Bowie, and Vietnamese Jaina.
Red Dragon Fruit
Also termed as Pitaya Roja, Hylocereus costaricensis. It is a Dragon fruit with red flesh and red skin. It is a sweet-type Dragon fruit with a texture comparable to a Kiwi. Furthermore, it can be eaten raw, but it can also be added to smoothies. The downside to eating red dragon fruits is that they can stain your hands. But combining them with solid fruit tastes like pineapple will make it more enjoyable. Red Dragon fruit cultivars include Costa Rican Sunset (Natura Mystic), Zamorano, and Red Jaina.
Learn More About Red Dragon Fruit: https://testing.emoha.com/blogs/nutrition/dragon-fruit-benefits-for-seniors
Yellow Dragon Fruit
Pitaya megalanthus, scientifically Hylocereus Megalanthus, is also commonly known as Selenicereus Megalanthus. This dragon fruit variety has a yellow-skinned scaling pattern with firm white flesh and is native to South America. This dragon fruit is the tastiest, though it only has one variety.
Learn More About Yellow Dragon Fruit: https://testing.emoha.com/blogs/nutrition/yellow-dragon-fruit-benefits-and-nutrition-value
Pink Dragon Fruit
These dragon fruits also belong to the red type, but their flesh is not the same. Pink dragon fruit has edible flesh that is soft to hot pink. This type of dragonfruit can adapt to different types of soil and climates. There are many pink dragon fruit varieties, including Delight, Cosmic Charlie (Delight), Voodoo Child (Voodoo Child), and American Beauty, Hylocereus guatemalensis).
Where To Find Blue Dragon Fruit?
Dragon fruit is a high-antioxidant tropical fruit, and Dragon fruit is often associated with Southeast Asia. However, it was born in South America.
It is possible to find dragon fruit with blue or green flesh but that is not edible. These colours are indicators that your dragonfruit isn’t ripe and is yet to reach its full growth. The rarest market find could be an unripe blue or green dragonfruit, but that colour will transform to red, pink or yellow as it ripens. Although you might find one or the other, you need to determine which one is ready and which one needs to wait longer.
Varieties of Dragon Fruit
There are many varieties of dragon fruits. Technically, the types of dragon fruit can be broken down by rubric/ species/ mongrel. The rubric Hylocereus includes three types of dragon fruits, while Selenicereus contains one. Each species is a blend of several mongrels. It’s much easier to classify dragon fruits by their skin colour and meat colour.
- Hylocereus umlauts is pink-fleshed and white-fleshed. This is the most atomic sweet variety, and it may be marketed under names like Alice, Cosmic Charlie, or Harpua.
- Hylocereus polyrhizus has pink skin with red or pink meat. This variety is generally wider and further succulent than the other kinds.
- Hylocereus guatemalensis This is the third type of fruit in the rubric. It’s characterised by bright pink skin and grandiloquent meat. It’s native to Central America and South America, and it’s also grown and vended in Florida as American Beauty.
- Selenicereus megalanthus, the most minor, sweetest variety, has white meat and yellow skin. It is an uncommon variety that grows substantially in South America, and isn’t mass-produced and thus is hard to find.
Seeding a Dragon Fruit Plant
Dragon fruit, a tropical plant, can live outdoors year-round. If you do not live in those areas, then planting it in a container is ideal. This will allow you to bring the pot and plant indoors as the cold weather approaches. Keep in mind that a dragon fruit tree will need a large container. You may also want to invest in a trolley or put your pot on wheels.
Dragon fruit can be self-fertile. This means that you only need to plant one plant to produce fruit. But, more plants will allow you to increase the yield. The seeds from the fruit can also be used to propagate this plant. To do this, slice the fruit in half. Then scoop out the seeds and wash them. After drying the seeds, you can place them in potting dirt. Place the seeds in the soil, and then cover with plastic wrap. Let the soil remain moist for about 10 to 15 more days before germinating. Once they have sprouted, you can transplant them to a slightly larger container. You may politely request a cutting if you are fortunate enough to have a friend with mother plants. Once this is done, let the ends dry out for a few more days. Once your section is dry, you can place it in the soil about two inches deep. The soil should remain moist but not soggy. Your plant should begin to grow in about three to four weeks. It may take two years for it to produce fruits.
Learn the Benefits of Other Nutritious Foods
| Giloy | Health Benefits of Giloy |
| Beetroot | Health Benefits of Beetroot |
| Green Apple | Health Benefits of Green Apples |
| Pomegranates | Health Benefits of Pomegranate |
| Strawberry | Health Benefits of Strawberry Juice |
| Lime | Health Benefits of Lime Juice |
| Amla | Health Benefits of Amla Juice |
| Lauki | Health Benefits of Lauki Juice |
Frequently Asked Questions
There are four varieties of this fruit. One is pink, the other has red flesh, and one has white flesh. The third one has purple flesh, and the fourth variety features yellow skin with white flesh. All varieties contain tiny black seeds, which can be eaten just like kiwifruit.
Tyalgum Purple Dragon Fruit. This is a rare and exceptional variety of dragon fruit. The cream-coloured flowers are as large as a teacup and produce fruit shaped like a cricket bat with a brownish peel.
Bruni Green Dragon fruit produces delicious, edible, and sweet fruits. Bruni Green is a tremendous self-pollinating variety, with high yields and small sizes, weighing in at 0.33 to 0.7 lbs.
There are two types of dragon fruit: royal Blue and emerald, and this is incorrect. There are many shades of dragon fruit flesh, including white, yellow, purple, and red, but no naturally occurring blue dragon fruit.
It’s a fact that red fruits and vegetables have higher antioxidants. Red dragon fruit is richer in antioxidants than its counterparts, making it an excellent choice for healthy eyes, blood, skin, and hair. You can also make wine from the red variety.
