Purple dragon fruit, also called purple pitaya, is the most special pitaya in the dragon fruit family. Like all other dragon fruit varieties, it grows on cacti with long vines. The purple dragon fruit is also well-known, and it looks and tastes the same as the red dragon fruit.
The betacyanins in a purple pitaya give the fruit its color. The purple dragon fruit plant can grow anywhere in the world that has tropical or subtropical weather. The purple pitaya is a type of dragon fruit called Hylocereus Polyrhizus.
Description
Dragon fruits grow on long, thin, vining cacti that grow up trees, fences, or walls. On the outside, Purple Dragon fruits look almost the same as the ones with white flesh. The long, brightly colored fruits can weigh up to a pound and are about 10 centimeters long. Their skin is pink to magenta and looks juicy, with fleshy scales that overlap and leave small, green-tipped bumps along its length.
| Name: | Purple Dragon Fruit (Cactus) |
| Other common names: | Pitaya / Pitahaya Fruit / Strawberry Pear |
| Scientific name: | Hylocereus Polyrhizus |
| Color: | Purple flesh |
| Plant seeds: | Outdoors after frost / Indoors weeks before last frost |
| Plant height: | 15 - 20' |
| Plant spacing: | 12’ |
| Harvest time: | July - October |
| Hardiness zone: | 9 - 11 |
| Light requirements: | Sun |
| Soil & water preferences: | Low |
The average thickness of the skin is only 3 millimeters, so the ratio of flesh to rind is high. The Dragonfruit’s bright magenta flesh comes from a chemical called betacyanin, which is also found in beets and prickly pear fruit. The pulp is filled with tiny black seeds that you can eat. Purple Dragon fruit is sweet, but not as sweet as white-fleshed dragon fruit. It also has a mildly acidic taste.
You could say that a purple pitaya tastes like a mix of an apple and a pear. Most of the time, the purple flesh tastes sweet and flavorful, but there are also options with a slightly milder taste. People often compare them to watermelons, kiwis, or pears.
Dragon Fruit can be eaten raw or dried, or it can be made into juice or wine. The fruit is mildly sweet, and you can eat or steep the flowers to make tea. I was also happy to find out that it has few calories and is full of vitamins and minerals.
Growing
H. Polyrhizus is easy and quick to grow in full sun or partial shade. You can grow it inside. Soil should be full of nutrients and drain well. Even though dragonfruit are cacti, they need a fair amount of water, but the soil should dry out before watering again. When plants are fed, they grow quickly and can bear fruit in their second season.
Dragon fruit needs strong support, which you can give with a classic dragon fruit pole, trellis, tree, sturdy fence or wall. Prefers warmer temperatures and can’t handle the cold.
Flowering happens in the summer (usually in January or February), and fruit can be picked starting in March. In good climates, they may flower and fruit at the same time over the course of a season.
Dragon fruit won’t grow in cold places, so make sure the temperature is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit to keep it from being hurt by the cold. Guard against hard freezes. Dragon fruit can be grown in pots or in the ground. This fast-growing plant needs well-drained soil, full sun, and a strong trellis to support its weight.
Don’t put too many plants in very large pots. Instead, gradually increase the size of the pots as the plants grow.
During the growing season, you should use a complete fertilizer. Don’t give the plant too much water in the winter to keep it from dying.
Health benefits
You might wonder why dragon fruit is purple. The answer is that it has a lot of the pigment betalain, which makes it purple.
For the most part, the health benefits are almost the same as the red dragon fruit. The only difference is that purple dragon fruit has more antioxidants than red dragon fruit, so it has more value on its own.
Remember that before eating this unusual fruit, you should consult your doctor. If he or she is okay with it, you should start with a small piece.
In addition, we can highlight such useful benefits:
- Getting the blood pressure down. As was already said, antioxidants like betalain and betasianin are found in dragon fruit. Both of these substances are very good at lowering blood pressure.
- Good for Moms-to-be. Purple dragon fruit is a fruit that is high in folate and is very good for women who are pregnant. Folate is important for making DNA and for dividing cells.
- Antioxidant-rich. You already know that the antioxidants in purple dragon fruit are important for fighting free radicals in the body. The signs of getting old are caused by free radicals. By eating fruits that are high in antioxidants, you are already slowing down some of the signs of aging on your body.
- Make people hungry. Dragon fruit is a good place to get vitamin B12, which helps make you hungry. One way to get better quickly is to eat dragon fruit when you are sick or healing.
- Nice for the eyes. The beta carotene in the purple dragon fruit is great for improving vision. For those of you who don’t like carrots, you can use dragon fruit as a substitute.
- Digestion. The dragon fruit’s high fiber content can help with a percenaan, especially if you have problems like constipation and diarrhea.
- It can help to stop osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a disease that happens when the body doesn’t have enough calcium and phosphorus. Since the purple dragon fruit is high in calcium and phosphorus, it is a great way to prevent osteoporosis. This fruit is also very good for young children to eat.
- Get rid of toxins in your body. Sometimes, we eat foods that contain toxins like arsenic, mercury, and others, but we don’t know it. The vitamin C and betalain in purple dragon fruit can help fight toxins and get rid of them from the body.
- Nice for the kidneys. The potassium content of purple dragon fruit is high enough. Potassium is a good way to keep your kidneys healthy and can also keep you from getting kidney stones.
- Bring down cholesterol. Vitamin B is a very good vitamin for keeping our metabolism going and for lowering cholesterol. And vitamin B can be found in purple dragon fruit.
Conclusion
The Purple Pitaya, which is also called Dragon Fruit, is one of the most beautiful and delicious fruits in the world. Its bright purple flesh is still not well known in the West, but if you are lucky enough to find one, it will enchant you. The Pitaya plant is magical in and of itself. It is a shrub in the cactus family that has big, beautiful white flowers.
After just one night of being open, the flowers will lose their petals and start the natural process that will lead to fruit in a month. This will happen two or three years after the seeds were planted, because the plants grow slowly.
Dragon fruit is full of good things for your immune system, like vitamin C and other antioxidants. It can help you get more iron. Iron is important because it helps your body move oxygen around and gives you energy. Dragon fruit has iron. And the vitamin C in dragon fruit makes it easier for your body to absorb the iron and use it.
Many people have tried to describe the taste of this magical fruit. Some say it tastes like a mix of Kiwi, Strawberry, Pear, and Passion Fruit. I would say that each of the varieties has a different and very different flavor, and that it doesn’t taste like anything I’ve ever eaten before.
