Guess the fruit: it grows on a cactus, its flower opens after sunset and starts closing by morning, and Gujarat gave it a new name in 2021. It is dragon fruit, or kamalam, and in a few years it has gone from an imported curiosity to an Indian farm crop you can find at a neighbourhood fruit cart.

This page covers where dragon fruit comes from, red vs white flesh, the Indian season and what to look for on imported packs. It does not make health claims for the fruit.

What dragon fruit is

ICAR's Central Island Agricultural Research Institute in Port Blair describes dragon fruit (Hylocereus species) as a climbing vine cactus, a "new introduction in India", nicknamed "Noble woman" or "Queen of the Night" for its flowers. The vines are trained on concrete or iron posts and can bear for up to 20 years.

ICAR-NIASM in Baramati says dragon fruit was introduced to India in the 1990s but has been grown commercially only in the last decade, including on marginal, degraded and dry land.

Did you know? The flower opens only at night

ICAR-NIASM recorded the timing: flowers start opening at about 6:30 pm, are in full bloom between 9 pm and midnight, begin closing from 7 am and wither by mid-morning as the sun gets stronger. The fruit then matures 30 to 35 days after the flower opens.

Red flesh vs white flesh

White-fleshedRed-fleshed
SpeciesHylocereus undatusOther Hylocereus species, such as H. costaricensis or H. polyrhizus
Colour comes fromPale flesh with black seedsBetacyanins, a group of red-violet pigments
Blooming (ICAR-NIASM, Baramati)April to October, in 5 to 6 major cyclesMay to September
Pollination (ICAR-NIASM)The white clone studied was self-pollinatedThe red clone studied needed cross-pollination

The pigment work comes from a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry on fruit-flesh betacyanins in Hylocereus cacti. For food makers, a separate study in the Journal of Food Science and Technology found that light degraded betacyanin in red dragon fruit juice and concentrate, while added ascorbic acid helped hold it. That is why a bright pink dragon fruit drink can fade on a sunny shelf.

From import to Indian farms

A 2023 Press Information Bureau release said farmers in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mizoram and Nagaland had taken up kamalam. At the time, it said, India's area was a little over 3,000 hectares, too small to meet demand, so most fruit in the market was imported from Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. It put imports at 327 tonnes in 2017 and 9,162 tonnes in 2019, set a target of 50,000 hectares under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, and announced a Centre of Excellence for kamalam at ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru.

Growth since then has been fast. A 2025 analysis of state-wise Ministry of Agriculture data reports national area rising from 5,300 to 14,510 hectares and production from 21,220 to 53,720 tonnes between 2022-23 and 2023-24, with southern India, mainly Andhra Pradesh, contributing over three-quarters of production.

When it is in season, and how farmers judge ripeness

ICAR's Port Blair team reports fruit ready 25 to 35 days after flowering. Its maturity index is the colour break from bright green to red. For the local market, it harvests 3 to 4 days after that colour change; for long-distance transport or export, at the colour break. Putting ICAR-NIASM's flowering months together with that 30-to-35-day window, Indian dragon fruit is mainly a monsoon-to-autumn crop, so October is still the tail of the season.

Why it's everywhere

  • Colour. Few fruits match a red-fleshed dragon fruit's pink, which makes it popular in smoothie bowls, fruit platters and café drinks.
  • Local supply. The ICAR and PIB material above describes a crop that has spread across many states, which makes it easier to find outside big cities.
  • A new name. The Hindu reported in January 2021 that Gujarat renamed it kamalam because its outer shape resembles a lotus. The name stuck in official use.

Imported fruit: what the label should show

For packaged imported food, FSSAI's Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020 require the country of origin on the label, and require the importer to show the FSSAI logo and licence number with the importer's name and address. Loose fruit at a cart will not carry a label, so ask where it was grown.

How to enjoy it

Cut the fruit in half and scoop out the flesh, or peel back the skin and slice it. It goes well in a fruit chaat or alongside other fruit. As with any fruit, the ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians favour whole fruit as part of a varied diet over juices.

Dragon fruit, or kamalam, is a night-flowering cactus fruit that India once mostly imported and now grows from Andhra Pradesh to Gujarat. White flesh is Hylocereus undatus; red flesh gets its colour from betacyanins.

This article is general information, not medical advice.

Sources

Hero photo: "Dragon Fruit 20181113-FPAC-LSC-0571" by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Lance Cheung), Wikimedia Commons, public domain. See Credits.

Questions

Why is dragon fruit called kamalam?

In January 2021 Gujarat's then Chief Minister announced the state would call dragon fruit kamalam, a Sanskrit word for lotus, because the fruit's outer shape resembles a lotus, as The Hindu reported at the time. The central government's press releases have since used the name kamalam alongside dragon fruit.

What is the difference between red and white dragon fruit?

The common white-fleshed type is Hylocereus undatus. Red-fleshed types are other Hylocereus species, such as H. costaricensis or H. polyrhizus. A study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry identified betacyanins, the same family of pigments as in beetroot, as the colour in the red flesh. ICAR-NIASM found the white type it studied was self-pollinated, while the red clone needed cross-pollination.

When is dragon fruit in season in India?

ICAR-NIASM in Baramati observed white-fleshed dragon fruit blooming from April to October and red-fleshed types from May to September, with fruit maturing 30 to 35 days after the flower opens. ICAR's Port Blair institute reports fruit ready 25 to 35 days after flowering. So Indian fruit is mainly a monsoon-to-autumn crop.

Is the dragon fruit I buy Indian or imported?

Ask the seller. For packaged imported food, FSSAI's labelling rules require the country of origin on the label, and the importer's name, address, FSSAI logo and licence number.

How do farmers know when dragon fruit is ripe?

ICAR's Central Island Agricultural Research Institute gives the maturity index as the colour break from bright green to red. For the local market it harvests 3 to 4 days after that colour change; for long-distance transport or export, at the colour break itself.

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