Valdivia Roja

Valdivia Roja is a Hylocereus ocamponis selection originating in the Mexican state of Jalisco, rebranded and popularised in the United States by the California grower and researcher Edgar Valdivia. UC Cooperative Extension included it in its San Diego pitahaya trial, catalogued under H. ocamponis, making it one of the few ocamponis clones with formal evaluation behind it. The fruit is small at around 250 g but exceptionally firm and intensely coloured, and it tests high for sugar, with an 18 Brix average and individual fruit reported at 21. Its most recognisable field character is the thick, tri-sided stem with a chalky greyish-white waxy coating that distinguishes ocamponis from the undatus and guatemalensis crowd. It is self-sterile and typically hand-pollinated, but yields well when a partner is available.