Description

Yellow Dragon

Yellow Dragon is a Dragon Fruit or Pitahaya variety that comes from the genus Selenicereus and the species megalanthus. This variety is native to Northern South America, also known as the Colombiana variety. If your looking for a challenge and some of the best-tasting fruit, look no further. Yellow Dragon is the one for you. Spicy Exotics collected this variety from a tropical grower in California.

Growth

The growth of Yellow Dragon is three-sided and olive green in color. Three small spins occur along the edge of the cutting, with the edge of the cutting dipping between spins. Two significant challenges in growing this variety are its susceptibility to heat and cold. Secondly, during excess rainfall, this variety tends to experience rust. For these reasons, Spicy Exotics does not recommend this variety for beginners.

Flower

The flower is a medium-sized bloom, with the inner petals white and the outer petals yellow and white. This is very similar to other Hylocereus species. However, the shape of the flower resembles a bell. The flower buds are identical to most Selenicereus species emerging with tiny hair-like spines on the bud’s base. Flowers open just after sunset and close at sunrise. While open, the air is filled with a perfume-like aroma that smells very sweet. Flowers are self-fertile, but we recommend hand pollination to ensure fruit to set.

Fruit

The fruit of the Yellow Dragon is small to medium, weighing .5 to .75 pounds. Fruiting season is the longest of all Dragon Fruit varieties lasting nearly nine months in South Louisiana. The main reason is that the flowers appear late in the season, and fruiting happens during the winter. This reason will extend the harvest time. The fruit first appears in the Fall, starting in September, and is not ready to harvest until May. Before harvesting, we recommend using a brush to remove the spins from the fruit. Fruits from Yellow Dragon are some of the best-tasting Dragon Fruits you can get, with a brix score ranging from the mid to low 20s. This Dragon Fruit is excellent eaten fresh, in jams, as a garnish, or as juice in drinks. Check out our Pinterest page for other great uses of this variety.