Description

Edgars Baby

Edgars Baby Dragon Fruit is a hybrid variety that comes from Hylocereus stenopterus and Hylocereus guatemalensis. This variety also has the species undatus in its gene. Edgar’s Baby is a seedling from the Asunta series from an Asunta 1,2,3, or 4 and Condor variety. The results are a white flower and green skin purple-fleshed fruit. Spicy Exotics collected this variety from a tropical nursery in Florida.

Growth

The growth of Edgars Baby is similar to H. undatus in size, shape, color, and thorns. The plant material is three-sided with small spins and bright green color. In 2020, our three-year-old plant seemed to tolerate the sun well, and we find this surprising compared to other H. stenopterus hybrids. 

Flower

The flower is a medium-sized bloom with inner petals being white and outer petals white, yellow, and green. The flower bud is identical to the Asunta flower buds, except they are a solid green color. In Louisiana, the flower opens at dusk and closes at sunrise. When compared to other Hylocereus varieties, this is earlier. The stigma is very similar to a Connie Mayer stigma in size and shape; however, it’s much further from the anthers. Flowers of Edgars Baby are self-sterile, so we used H. undatus pollen to set fruit.

Fruit

Fruits weigh in at three-quarters to one pound. The fruit’s mature skin is green, making it difficult to determine when the fruit is ripe. However, leaving it alone will eventually show some red color bleeding through the skin, making it a perfect time to pick.  We recommend taking note when the flower opens and harvesting the fruit 50 to 65 days after blooming. Once ripe, the flesh has a juicy sweetness that is pink in color. Our second-year fruit was much better than year one, with several fruits over a pound and an average brix rating of 19. 

In summary, this variety’s flowers and fruit make it unique compared to the other Dragon Fruit varieties available at Spicy Exotics. Collectors should mark this one down on their “List to Have” for this reason alone.