This Nicaraguan type of S. polyrhizus is a cultivated variety. It grows one of the most beautiful pitaya fruits, which has a thick red skin and green bracts that curl and have dark red edges. And “Lisa” isn’t just pretty on the outside.
Description
Lisa Dragon Fruit (sometimes called s7) comes from the Hylocereus genus and the polyrhizus species. This type is a pitahaya fruit from Nicaragua. It has dark red flesh and red skin. It is one of five types that Nicaragua is known to grow commercially.
The fruit tastes great and is sweet and savory at the same time. With an average weight of 1 pound and an average brix of 18, we found that some fruit had readings in the 20s. Like most fruits with red flesh, this one has a lot of antioxidants.
| Genus: | Hylocereus |
| Plant type: | Cacti |
| Self-pollinating: | Self-sterile |
| Outside color: | Red |
| Pulp color: | Dark Red |
| Taste: | Sweet flavor |
| Outdoor: | Zone 10-11 |
| Patio: | Zone 4a-11 |
| Flavor: | 5 out of 5 |
| Growth rate: | 4 out of 5 |
| Fruit production: | 4 out of 5 |
| Home planting: | 3 out of 5 |
| Commercial planting: | 4 out of 5 |
| Weather tolerance: | 4 out of 5 |
In South Louisiana, it usually takes 30 days for a flower bud to turn into a night-blooming flower, and then another 30 days to harvest. The flowers are some of the biggest of all dragonfruit when they open. If you want fruit, you will need to find another pollinator from a different species, since Lisa is self-sterile and needs this to set fruit.
The stem’s growth is grayish green and has three-sided edges with a number of medium-sized spines. The plant’s stem has a gray coating that helps protect it from heat in the summer and cold in the winter. Areolas have 3–5 spines that are 3–7 mm long and are usually arranged in a circle. Segment between areoles is slightly convex and 23 mm long, petals are white, calyx is yellow with red on the edges, and anthers and stigma lobes are bright yellow.
We found studies on the Internet that stated the following:
Based on DNA tests, Rosa, Lisa, and Cebra are all the same. This test also shows that it could be a Hylocereus costaricensis or a Hylocereus polyrhizus.
We don’t think that’s quite right. They do taste a little different. Not to mention a different appearance.
Plant facts
- The fruit has red flesh and tastes better than average. It is big, and it is the most productive red-fleshed Nicaraguan cultivar;
- The fruit is oval, medium-sized, and weighs 465 grams, skin is red, rind is thick and feels smooth and velvety, which is where the name Lisa “Smooth” comes from. Flesh is dark red and very firm;
- In a blind taste test at the University of California at San Diego Cooperative Extension, ‘Lisa’ was rated as having one of the best flavors of all the pitaya cultivars;
- LISA has an average of 17.02 brix, which is a measure of sugar content;
- it takes 44 days from bloom to harvest in Southern California;
- Harvest time is late June to late December or January;
- Tolerance to cold and heat is better than average.
Conclusion
Lisa comes from Nicaragua. She is a Hylocereus Polyrhizus Dragon Fruit. It has sharp, short thorns that stick out. When the plant is fully grown, it will have a white coating that makes it better able to handle heat. The flesh is a deep red color and has a lot of antioxidants.
The fruit’s firm flesh tastes like sweet raspberries or strawberries, making it a great mix of sweet and sour. This is one of Nicaragua’s best-selling commercial varieties.
