Herb. No. 223 · Cactaceae
Central American cactus; Vietnam made it a pink export.
Native · Mexico & Central America
Native Also grown
LegalGentleplant
Dragon fruit
Selenicereus undatus
A night-blooming cactus that fruits in neon — mild white or red flesh speckled with seed, more show than perfume.
Dragon fruit is a Central American climbing cactus, now a Vietnamese and Israeli farm crop. Traditional Mesoamerican use is as ripe fruit. Culinary amounts are the path. White-fleshed undatus is mild; red-fleshed costaricensis is louder. The grocery fruit is often picked early and tastes like a cucumber wearing makeup. A ripe one yields and smells faintly sweet.
Flavor
Mild kiwi-pear, lots of seed crunch. Red flesh is berry-adjacent. Underripe is wet cardboard.
Parts used
Ripe flesh
Helpful
- A cactus you can trellis
- Striking on a plate
Cautions
- Bland if early
- Spines on some types
- The name outruns the flavor