Bees love dragon fruit flowers | dragon fruit
These fruits are often called “dragon fruit” in English. This name has been used since around 1963, apparently due to the leather-like skin and prominent scaly spikes on the outside of the fruit. The names pitahaya and pitaya come from Mexico, and pitahaya roja comes from Central America and northern South America. It may be related to the name pitahaya because it is the name of the tall cactus species with flowering fruits. This fruit may also be called strawberry pear. Pitaya-producing cacti are native to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador and northern South America. Dragon fruit is grown in Southeast Asia, India, the United States, the Caribbean, Australia, and throughout the tropical and subtropical world. The Stenocereus fruit (sour dragon fruit) is a variety commonly found in the arid regions of America. They are more sour, juicy, and more flavorful. The sour dragon fruit or pitaya agria (S. gummosus) in the Sonoran Desert has always been an important food source for Native Americans. The Seri people in northwestern Mexico still harvest fruits and call this plant ziix ccapxl “fruit sour stuff.” The fruits of related species, such as S. queretaroensis and S. griseus, are also important local foods. The fruit of the pipe organ cactus (S. thurberi, Seris called ool) is pitaya dulce “sweet pitaya”. It has a more sour aroma than Selenicereus fruit, and is described as somewhat reminiscent of watermelon sweet dragon fruit. Hylocereus undatus) is pink-white with skin and flesh. This is the most common “dragon fruit”. Selenicereus costaricensis (Pitaya roja or red-fleshed dragon fruit, also known as Hylocereus costaricensis, possibly erroneously called Hylocereus polyrhizus) has red flesh and red flesh. Selenicereus megalanthus (dragon fruit amarilla or yellow dragon fruit, also known as Hylocereus megalanthus) has yellow skin and white flesh. Fruits usually weigh 150 to 600 grams (5+1⁄2 to 21 ounces); some may reach 1 kg (2 pounds, 3 ounces). Early products imported from Colombia to Australia were named “Hylocereus ocampensis” (or “Cereus repandus”, red fruit) and “Cereus triangleis” (supposedly, yellow fruit). It is not certain that these taxa refer to the species that completely remove the seeds from the pulp of the fruit and then store the seeds after drying. The ideal fruit is flawless and overripe. Seeds grow well in compost or potting soil mix-even for potted houseplants. Pitaya cactus usually germinates 11 to 14 days after shallow planting. Since they are cacti, excessive watering is a concern for home growers. As they continue to grow, these climbing plants will find something to climb, which may involve removing the aerial roots from the branches in addition to the roots. Once the plant reaches a mature weight of 4.5 kg (10 lb), the plant may bloom.[clarification needed]
Commercial planting can be done at high densities, with 1,100 to 1,350 plants per hectare (445 to 546 plants per acre). It can take up to five years for plants to enter full commercial production. At this stage, the yield is expected to be 20 to 30 tons per hectare (8 to 12 tons per acre). Pitaya flowers bloom overnight and usually wither at night. They rely on nocturnal pollinators such as bats or moths for pollination. In some species, self-fertilization does not produce fruit. Although cross-breeding has produced several “self-generating” varieties, cross-pollination with a second genetically different plant of the same species usually increases fruit setting and quality. This limits the ability of home growers to produce fruit. However, depending on the growth conditions, plants can bloom three to six times a year. Like other cacti, if a healthy stem is broken, it may root in the soil and become its own plant. Plants can withstand temperatures up to 40 °C (104 °F) and extremely short frost times, but they cannot be exposed to freezing temperatures for long periods of time. Cacti thrive most in USDA zones 10-11, but may survive outdoors in zones 9a or 9b. Selenicereus has adapted to live in a dry tropical climate with moderate rainfall. In many areas, it has escaped cultivation and become a weed, and is classified as an invasive weed in some countries. @Anugerah Alam TV #DragonFruitFlower #Pitaya #Vegetasi.
