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.
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.
