The Dragon fruit Cacti
The dragon fruit cacti is a vine-like cacti of the genus Hylocereus undatus. It is a native of Central America. It is also grown in South East Asia, especially Vietnam and Malaysia. A few of the vines are tied around support post up to about 3 feet high and then allows to droop down. |
| Dragon fruit cacti tied to support post. A wilted flower that will soon grow into a dragon fruit. |
The flower
The flower blooms at night. It is huge - around 9 inches in diameter (size of a dinner plate).
The flower exudes a sweet smelling fragrance to attracts night moths and bats.
Its is pollinated by the night moths and bats.
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| Dragon fruit flower side view |
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| Dragon fruit flower - front view |
The flower wilts in the morning.
The cacti flowers between 3 to 6 times a year.
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| The wilted dragon fruit flower in the day after blooming last night. |
The young dragon fruit after the flower has been pollinated by night moths or bats.
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| Young dragon fruit |
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| Dragon fruit |
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| White-flesh dragon fruit |
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| Red-flesh dragon fruit |
No photograph of yellow dragon fruit because seldom seen in market.
The cacti can be propagated by seeds or planting a broken off stem in the ground.
Note: The photographs of dragon fruit cacti, flower n fruits on cacti are taken at Pasir Ris RC Zone 5 Eco-Garden besides Coral Primary School.
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