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American Beauty Dragon Fruit Vs Physical Graffiti Dragon Fruit

American Beauty Dragon Fruit vs Physical Graffiti Dragon Fruit has received the most queries from growers and consumers since they are similar but are actually not.

Generally, American Beauty and Physical Graffiti are cultivars of Dragon Fruit with scaly spines, leathery skin, and green bracts. However, the true cultivar American Beauty is sweeter and rounder than the hybrid Physical Graffiti.

Go through the article to enjoy the smoothies or fruit salads out of the best one among both.

American Beauty And Physical Graffiti Dragon Fruit [Purple Facts!]

Dragon Fruit is a tropical cactus member native to Southern Mexico and the Pacific coasts of Guatemala with more than 25 cultivars.

People call it a Dragon Fruit because of its leathery skin with scaly spikes similar to Dragon scales. This quality prevails in each variety of Dragon Fruit.

However, the similarity in fruit is what creates confusion. And the most common ones with the highest rivalry are American Beauty and Physical Graffiti Dragon Fruit.

American Beauty (Hylocereus guatemalensis) is a true cultivar of Dragon Fruit famous for its impressive appearance and purple flesh.

Meanwhile, Physical Graffiti is a hybrid variety created from the cross between Hylocereus guatemalensis and Hylocereus undatus. It has the impression of having large fruit.

However, they have similar growing requirements requiring full sun, although American Beauty prefers some shade.

Both of the varieties are highly nutritious and are rich source of Vitamin C and fiber. Moreover, they produce fruits only after 2 to 3 years of cultivation.

American Beauty Dragon Fruit Vs Physical Graffiti Dragon Fruit: Differences

Similarities are obvious since American Beauty and Physical Graffiti are cultivars of Dragon Fruit.

However, it is also clear that they are different varieties with a relatively minimal difference which you can notice with a closer look.

So, some significant differences to justify the American Beauty Dragon Fruit vs Physical Graffiti Dragon Fruit are as follows.

1. Outer Appearance

The spike and the leathery skin never change for any variety, including American Beauty and Physical Graffiti. However, the skin tone can vary slightly.

American Beauty has reddish pink skin that fits with the darker green bracts. Meanwhile, Physical Graffiti has thin bright salmon-pink skin with green bracts.

The fruits of American Beauty are round and fleshier than the medium to large oblong fruits of Physical Graffiti.

As for the weight, a single American Beauty weighs around 0.5 to 1 pound, and a Physical Graffiti around 0.75 to 1.5 pounds.

2. Color and Texture Of Flesh

Another way of identifying the varieties from one another is by cutting the fruits in half and noticing the color variation.

Usually, American Beauty has dark magenta flesh. Meanwhile, Physical Graffiti flesh is beautiful and juicy with a bright purple shade.
The red flesh of Dragon Fruit
The flesh of both American Beauty and Physical Graffiti looks somewhat similar.

These varieties hold many crunchy edible tiny black seeds in their flesh, similar to a Kiwi.

Moreover, you will notice a slightly grainier texture in American Beauty than the smooth fleshy Physical Graffiti after having a bite.

3. Flavor of Fruit

The significant factor for which we prefer one variety over the other is their taste which ranges from sweet to tart and earthy.

In American Beauty, you will find a sweet, mild flavor that tastes more like a berry or soft strawberry. On the other hand, Physical Graffiti is a little slimy and has a mild flavor that is less sweet.

The fruit of American Beauty has a sugar content of around 18.51 on the Brix scale, while Physical Graffiti’s sugar content is about 17.93.

4. Pollination Requirement

To successfully produce fruit on your Dragon Fruit, you need to know the pollination requirement.

The American Beauty Dragon Fruit is self-fertile, and a single plant is enough to produce the fruit. 

Meanwhile, Physical Graffiti Dragon Fruit is a self-sterile plant since it is a hybrid variety requiring hand pollination from the growers to produce fruit.

Also, the pollination occurring in Physical Graffiti is cross-pollination, while in American Beauty, it is self-pollination.

Take reference from the video!

From Editorial Team

Which One Is The Best?

American Beauty and Physical Graffiti are best for commercial cultivation and fall under the five most favored varieties of Dragon Fruit.

So better to go with both, as these Pitaya cultivars are an excellent addition to any Dragon Fruit orchard. Also, they are easygoing and are fruitful investment options.

Happy Dragon Fruit Venture!

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