Dragon Fruit Seeds

Dragon fruit comes from a sprawling, climbing cactus with three-ribbed green stems and large white night-blooming flowers. The fruit is oval, bright pink or yellow, with leafy scales, and holds white, red or magenta flesh studded throughout with hundreds of tiny seeds.

The seeds are black, glossy and roughly the size of poppy or sesame seeds, soft enough to chew without noticing, like those of the kiwifruit. They have a faint nutty taste and a slight crunch. Fresh seeds are normally eaten with the fruit, but they are also sold dried for planting. Some producers sell the seeds as a separate cold-pressed oil or a dried powder with the pulp, although these products are less common than the fresh fruit.

Dragon fruit is native to the tropical forests of Central America, Mexico and perhaps northern South America, where the cacti climb trees and rocks. Several species and hybrids are now cultivated, including those traditionally placed in the genus Hylocereus, which botanists now treat as part of Selenicereus.

The common name dragon fruit is usually explained by the scaly, flame-like appearance of the fruit, and the Vietnamese name thanh long and Chinese huo long guo both mean dragon fruit as well. The alternative name pitaya is of Caribbean or Mesoamerican origin, probably from an indigenous word, and it has since been used for several different cactus fruits. Pitahaya is a Spanish spelling.

Pre-Columbian peoples of Mesoamerica ate pitaya fruits, and Spanish writers recorded them after contact. The plant seems to have been taken to Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam, in the nineteenth century, possibly by French colonists, and from there it was widely planted. In Vietnam it became a leading export fruit, with the Binh Thuan province a famous growing area.

In the late twentieth century the fruit spread widely through other countries, with Israel, Thailand, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Colombia and parts of Florida, California and Australia all growing it. Its striking appearance helped it become a fashion fruit in markets, restaurants and social media.

Seeds have always been part of the fruit rather than a separate commodity. Because seedlings vary a lot and take longer to flower, commercial growers mostly propagate dragon fruit from stem cuttings, using seeds for breeding programmes and for hobby growers who enjoy raising unusual cacti. Extension services such as those of the University of California and Brazilian research bodies describe both methods. The seeds germinate readily within a couple of weeks in warm conditions, but plants grown from seed may take several years to fruit and can produce fruit of varying quality.

The seeds are eaten whole with the pulp, in fresh fruit, smoothies, sorbets, jams and bowls, where they add a mild crunch. They pass through the body undigested in many cases, as with other small seeds. Some producers press the seeds for an oil used in cosmetics, and a few supplements use seed powder, although these are niche products.

Gardeners sow the seeds to grow new cacti: rinse them free of pulp, dry them lightly, and sow on a warm, bright, free-draining mix. Seedlings are slow at first. Cuttings remain the quicker way to a fruiting plant.

Dragon fruit pulp provides fibre, vitamin C and some minerals, and red-fleshed types contain betalain pigments with antioxidant properties in laboratory tests. The seeds contribute unsaturated fatty acids, including linoleic acid, and some fibre, but the quantities in a normal serving are small.

Because the seeds are tiny and soft they are generally considered part of the fruit's fibre content, and some people find that eating a lot of dragon fruit has a mild laxative effect. Strong health claims for the seeds specifically are not backed by solid human trials.