Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you one of the most beautiful fruit on earth – dragon fruit, also known as pitaya. The dragon fruit is usually a dark red color, although some types of this fruit are pink or yellow. The skin is usually covered in scales, and the center of the fruit is made up of a red or white, sweet tasting pulp.

Pitaya flowers bloom overnight and usually wilt by the morning.^[1] They rely on nocturnal pollinators such as bats or moths for fertilization. Self-fertilization will not produce fruit in some species, and while cross-breeding has resulted in several “self-fertile” varieties, cross-pollinating with a second plant species generally increases fruit set and quality. This limits the capability of home growers to produce the fruit. However, the plants can flower between three and six times in a year depending on growing conditions. Like other cacti, if a healthy piece of the stem is broken off, it may take root in soil and become its own plant.

Personal experience – beautiful on plate but no taste.