Ax (also called Asunta X) is a type of dragon fruit with purple flowers and big, round fruits. People say that the fruit tastes like watermelon. Self-Sterile. Needs to be pollinated by hand.
Description
Hylocereus stenopterus and Hylocereus guatemalensis are the parents of the Ax Dragon Fruit. This type of plant also has a gene for the species undatus. The seedling that became the Ax variety came from the Asunta series. This variety is probably a cross between an Asunta 1 or 2 and a Condor. The name “Ax” comes from “Asunta Cross”, which is shortened to “A X”.
| Genus: | Hylocereus |
| Plant type: | Cacti |
| Self-pollinating: | Self-sterile |
| Outside color: | Green |
| Pulp color: | Magenta |
| Taste: | Sweet flavor |
| Outdoor: | Zone 10-11 |
| Patio: | Zone 4a-11 |
| Country of origin: | Philippines |
| Exposure: | Full sun to shade |
| Water: | Little water |
| Soil: | Rich organic matter plus sand |
| Flavor: | 5 out of 5 |
| Growth rate: | 3 out of 5 |
| Fruit production: | 4 out of 5 |
| Home planting: | 3 out of 5 |
| Commercial planting: | 3 out of 5 |
| Weather tolerance: | 3 out of 5 |
The size, shape, color, and thorns of Ax’s plant growth are all like those of the early Asunta hybrids. The parts of the plant have three sides and are green in color. The Ax variety grows quickly, but the young, soft plant parts take longer to harden and grow up. Because of this, it is easy to “train” and trellis the plant.
The flower is about the size of a thumb and has purple petals on the inside with pink edges that fade into white tips. The petals on the outside are all purple. We think it is the most beautiful of all the Hylocereus hybrids with purple flowers. The flower bud is also beautiful. It looks like the hybrids in the Asunta series.
In Louisiana, the flower blooms at night and closes in the morning. Compared to other types of Hylocereus, this one blooms earlier. The stigma is about the same size and shape as the stigma on a Connie Mayer flower, but it is much farther from the anthers. Since Ax flowers can’t make their own pollen, we used H. undatus pollen to make sure they made fruit.
Fruits
Fruits weigh a pound or a little bit more than a pound. The skin of a ripe fruit is green, which makes it hard to tell when it’s ready to pick. We suggest that you write down when the flower opens and wait 60 days to pick the fruit. The purple meat is firm and tastes great. Brix said that it was 20-21, and it weighed between a pound and a pound and a quarter.
Raising ‘A’x Dragon Fruit: An Extreme Sport
You know how some people are adrenaline junkies who get their kicks from crazy extreme sports? Well, I like to think of farming A’x dragon fruit as the agricultural equivalent. These prickly little suckers will really keep you on your toes!
For the uninitiated, A’x is a relatively new variety of dragon fruit cultivated in Malaysia. With its bright green, scale-covered exterior and striking deep magenta flesh, it’s a real show-stopper visually. But cultivating these beauties is an extreme sport in its own right that will definitely get your heart racing.
It all started a few years back when I first laid eyes on an A’x at a specialty grocer while on vacation in Kuala Lumpur. Admittedly, I was initially a bit intimidated by the protruding bright green scales and fierce-looking inedible tresses. These things looked more like alien life forms than fruit! But after one taste of that impossibly vibrant fuchsia interior packed with tiny crunchy seeds, I was hooked.
The delicate balance of subtle sweetness and understated tartness was like a refreshing sorbet straight from the garden of Eden. I just had to grow these forbidden fruits myself. So I brought a few precious specimens back home to my little farm in California and set about trying to cultivate them.
Well, let me tell you – this variety is one high-maintenance diva. Too much heat and the delicate blossoms shrivel up. Too little and the whole plant stubbornly refuses to flower at all. The precise moisture requirements to avoid blossom rot or other diseases feel virtually impossible to dial in perfectly. And don’t even get me started on maintaining that very specific soil pH that A’x demands to thrive!
Just when you think you’ve finally got all the growing conditions down pat, it’s time for the ultimate extreme sport – harvesting. Those seemingly innocent green scales are actually covered in a gazillion tiny, razor-sharp spines capable of slicing your skin like a horde of miniature knives. Heavy-duty protective gear is an absolute must unless you want to spend hours extracting splinters from every inch of your body.
Hacking your way through that armored exterior to get at the delectable fruit inside is truly an epic battle every single time. I’ve lost count of how many gloves and clothes I’ve had to replace thanks to premature wear and tear. But despite the blood (sometimes literal), sweat and tears, it’s oh so worth it when you finally slice into one of those fresh orbs.
There’s just nothing like being met with that bright fuchsia interior cradling all those crunchy little edible seeds. Each bite is a harmonious balance of subtle sweetness and earthy tartness that makes your mouth do a happy dance. As delicious as A’x is in smoothies, cocktails and more, there’s something extra special about enjoying this particular variety raw and chilled for its refreshing simplicity.
And knowing everything you had to endure to grow each and every one of those prickly little fruits? That makes savoring them straight-up even more rewarding.
Of course, eating them is the easy part compared to the extreme sporting event of actually farming A’x dragon fruit. Between battling the elements to maintain very precise growing conditions and then going a few rounds with the heavily armored fruits themselves during harvest, this is definitely not a profession for the faint of heart.
Scratches, cuts and war wounds are pretty much par for the course. But much like your traditional adrenaline junkie, I just can’t get enough of that crazy rush. Yep, cultivating A’x is basically an extreme sport wrapped in a fruity package!
So while dragon fruit farming may not have been my original calling, I can’t imagine doing anything else nowadays. Because when you put that much passion, work and grit into coaxing these spiky little gems from the earth, you can’t help but savor every succulent bite that much more. Sure, the juice is worth the squeeze – but for A’x, you’ve gotta be willing to get pricked a few times too!
Conclusion
H. Stenopterus X H. Guatemalensis. This variety is a seedling of one of the early Asunta series varieties. It was made by Edgar Valdivia, who is a member of the California Rare Fruit Grower organization (A stand for Asunta and X stands for Unknown).
This type grows quickly and is easy to train to grow up a trellis. Like the other Asuntas, this one has a pink flower that can’t reproduce on its own. Instead, it needs to be cross-pollinated, and the flowers may need to be opened by hand.
The fruit weighs between 1 and 1.25 lbs. The outside is green with a pink tint, and the tip of the lime green fin is pink. The flesh is a bright magenta color, and it tastes sweet like melon and has no acidity at all.
