I remember a movie where all these rich folk would come together to watch this "rare" plant open it's flower. They had to do it at night because the flower opened at dusk and closed up again before morning. I was always intrigued by the idea of this......but honestly I didn't even know if it really existed.
I had never tried a Dragon fruit before..I always look in the "weird fruit & veggie" area, but had not convinced myself to buy one. So today when I went to the grocery store I gave in and bought one. They are a bit on the pricey side at $4.oo a pop, which means that I won't be buying these in bulk, and I won't buy them to often. BUT, I had to try one, and to my surprise it was actually quite good. It is a mild tasting fruit (I compare it to a bit of melon and a bit of coconut) with almost the same texture of Kiwi.
It was after reading Mr Subjunctives blog about those grafted moon cacti, that I realized there really was a flower that opened for one night, and it comes from the same plant as the dragon fruit. Well I had to have one, so the easiest way was to plant some seeds. From what I have read they are quite easy to sow. But I don't want to wait years for seedlings to grow up. Then I remembered that Mr.S said the base of those colorful moon cacti were indeed Hylocereus (most of the time). Wouldn't you know, WM has them on sale right now. 
I bought a couple of those moon cacti, and within minutes of entering the house, Off With Their Heads!!. DH wants to try and root the colorful moon cacti, even though I have told him they can not survive on there own. But, when I cut off their tops, I guess I did leave a 1/4" of the base. So he thinks, maybe it will work.
So it finally all came together for me. The Dragon fruit, the moon cactus base, the night blooming flower......I had no idea they were all from the same plant. Maybe one day, when the Hylocereus is ready to open a flower, I will invite everyone for miles around to come and sit around my plant, and watch it open. Just like the movies....lol.
Does anyone know of any movies that had the night blooming flower in it?
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Dragon Fruit.....Hylocereus Undatus
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9 comments:
Ill have to try Dragonfruit. I've never seen it in stores here--but I'm going to keep a lookout now. The description you gave of the mix of melon and coconut convinced me!
Aiyana
It really is good.....and if you can't find it a regular grocery store, then try to find an asian market.
That's very exciting that you found a fresh dragonfruit at your grocery store! I have been wanting to try one ever since reading the same post on Mr. Subjunctive's blog too. I have thus far only been able to find dried dragonfruit which has a leathery texture and an interesting flavor. I'm sure the fresh fruit is much different. I'll keep looking!
Good luck with your seeds!
I've been looking for a dragonfruit since I wrote that post too. Glad everyone was suitably inspired. :^)
There are other plants that have one-night-only blooms; Epiphyllum oxypetalum is one, and I'm pretty sure Cereus peruvianus is another. There's also Peniocereus greggii. They all have in common that they're cacti, the flowers are heavily scented, and (I'm pretty sure) the flowers are white.
As soon as I read this I wanted to have one for my own - I went to walmart tonight and bought the only one they had for 2.49. I came home and chopped off the Gymnocalycium and planted the Hylocereus undatus in some new dirt.
I can't wait to see it start growing so I can explain this one to people!
Wow! I got taken. I bought one of the fruits at Wegmans outside Baltimore. It was $8.99 per pound! And mine was 1.5 lbs! It was one huge fruit. I collected a few hundred seeds, but I really wanted the fruit so the rest got eaten :)! I loved every bit of it. I have a new favorite fruit. I just hope some of the seeds take and I can grow a few plants to maturity. I am gradually building a collection of exotics for the house and garden. I got some Musa Basjoo last year and that has taken off.
I hate Dragonfruit!!! Last time i ate one i was puking for days and had to get rushed to the hospital because I went into anaphylactic shock and almost died!!!!!!!!!!!!!1so forget you people
I dont blame you for not liking them.......there are many other epiphytic cacti though.....
The movie you're talking about it Dennis the Menace.. right!? :P classic..
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