Description

Houghton

Houghton Dragon Fruit variety comes from the genus Hylocereus and an unknown species. This variety of Dragon Fruit was named after Arthur Duvernoix Houghton, or A.D. Houghton (1870-1938). Dr. Houghton was a medical doctor, a botanist specializing in cacti, a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council from 1904 to 1906, and one of the founders of the American Legion. In his early years, he was also a showman who presented performances in both hypnotism and conducted seances. He also wrote a book about Cacti titled “The Cactus Book,” published in 1931.

Another exciting bit of information on this variety of Dragon Fruit is it’s one of the parent plants used in two Paul Thomson seedlings called 7-S and 8-S. They were a hybrid using a Houghton and the Rixford variety. The 8-S seedlings were later renamed Voodoo Child by a nursery in Florida. Then a few years after that, 8-S was renamed by a grower in California Sugar Dragon. Voodoo Child and Sugar Dragon resemble one another and are very similar to their parent, Houghton. Spicy Exotics collected this hybrid variety from a tropical grower in California.

Growth

The growth of this variety is a robust grower with meaty stems that are olive green. Thick small spines occur along the rib line of each branch and can extend over five feet. Stems resemble Hylocereus setaceus in size and shape.

Flowers

Flowers of this variety are huge, with blooms over 15 inches across. When fully open it’s a few hours after sunset and closes at sunrise. The Houghton variety is typically the first and last to bloom, giving more flowing cycles, which means more fruit. Another positive aspect of this variety is its pollen can be used with almost any other Dragon Fruit plant to create fruit.

Fruit

Fruit of this variety produces small quarter to half-pound oval-shaped fruit. The external appearance of the fruit is red with tiny deep green, almost brown fins. The inner flesh is a bright red purplish color with a semi-firm, sweet texture. The first fruit tested in 2019 had an average brix score of 18. This Dragon Fruit is excellent eaten fresh, in jams, as a garnish, or as juice in drinks. Check out our Pinterest page for other great uses of this variety.