Dragon Fruit Cross-Pollination Pair: 'Purple Haze' and 'Dark Star' (Both Selenicereus guatemalensis × Selenicereus undatus)

Family: Cactaceae (the cactus family)
Genus: Selenicereus (includes several dragon fruit species)

Botanical/Binomial Name: Selenicereus guatemalensis × Selenicereus undatus
Meaning of Name:
Selenicereus, from Ancient Greek Σελήνη (Selḗnē, the Greek moon goddess) + Latin cereus (‘wax taper’, ‘torch’, ‘candle’, also a name used for upright cacti): night-flowering cactus; and
guatemalensis, from Latin guatemalēnsis (‘Guatemalan’); and
undatus, from Latin undātus (‘wavy’, ‘wave-like’)

Common Names: Dragon Fruit, Strawberry Pear, Pitaya

Botanical Characteristics: Succulent | Perennial | Evergreen | Frost tender
Propagation: Cuttings | Layering

Item Description:
With many thanks to Günter for these pieces! The cuttings vary from 70-100 mm wide by about 400-800 mm tall. All photos bar the first are copyright © Günter.

Both cultivars ‘Purple Haze’ and ‘Dark Star’requires a cross-pollinator — here they are offered as a discounted pair to pollinate the other!

The pots are second-hand with dimensions 120 mm diameter × 130 mm deep.

The plants you will receive will be very similar to the one in the second photo. I may remove the pots and/or trim when posting if that aids packing and getting postage down for you.

Plant Description:
Dragon fruit comes from any of several species of climbing cactus.

The ‘Purple Haze’ cultivar is a fruit with red skin and vivid purple flesh, like ‘Dark Star’. Both are by the same breeder Paul Thomson and both are hybrids of Selenicereus guatemalensis (red skin, purple flesh) and Selenicereus undatus (red skin, white flesh).

‘Purple Haze’ fruit is very sweet, large, and up to 1 kg in weight.

The ‘Dark Star’ cultivar looks very similar to ‘Purple Haze’, but is a smaller fruit about 600 g. It is also very sweet and with a mild grape-like taste.

The flowers open at night and require cross-pollination with another type to set fruit. Bats and moths are the pollinators.

Growing Information:
Dragon fruit cacti are grown in well-draining, fertile soil in full sun to partial shade. They are natural climbers via aerial roots, and growth is encouraged up a thick pole or similar support of about 1-1.5 m in height. Once they reach the top they will naturally arch out and down towards the ground under their own weight.

The flowers and fruit form on these unsupported lengths, in reach for an easy harvest.