Dragon Fruit, Red Pitaya
Hylocereus undatus

Family: Cactaceae

What it is like

Other common names include Red Pitaya, Strawberry Pear, Night Blooming Cereus, Queen of the Night, and Honolulu Queen. Hylocereus undatus or commonly known as Dragon Fruit is a climbing cactus or succulent shrub with triangular stalks that can be up to 7 m long. It produces aerial roots enabling it to climb and support itself. It is widely cultivated for its edible fruit with a sweet and pleasant flavor. The fruit is red, 7-12 cm long, and covered in prominent scales. The flowers are white but yellowish-green on the outside and open at night. The plant is also used as an ornamental plant. It is fast growing and can be grown in semi-shade or full sun.

Hylocereus undatus is an evergreen Shrub growing to 4 m (13ft) by 2 m (6ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Bats. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Height (m): 4

Where it is found

An epiphytic or terrestrial plant, growing in thickets, hedges, on rocks or rock walls, at elevations up to 2,000 metres.

Central America - Mexico southwards, also in the West Indies.

Conservation Status: Status: Data Deficient

Countries/locations it is found in

Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Aruba; Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba; Cayman Islands; Costa Rica; Cuba; Curaçao; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Haiti; Honduras; Jamaica; Martinique; Montserrat; Nicaragua; Panama; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Sint Maarten (Dutch part); Trinidad and Tobago; Turks and Caicos Islands; United States; Virgin Islands, British; Virgin Islands, U.S.; Brazil, Africa, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Brazil, Cambodia, Central America, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, East Africa, El Salvador, Guatemala, Hawaii, Indochina, Israel, Jamaica, Mexico*, Mozambique, Nauru, Nicaragua, North America, Pacific, SE Asia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South America, USA, Vietnam, West Indies,

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Fruit - raw or cooked. Delicious. A sweet, pleasant flavour. The red fruit is 7 - 12cm long, covered in prominent scales. Unopened flower buds can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 2

Agroforestry Uses: The plant can be used to make a beautiful flowering hedge. Other Uses: None known

Hedge: Plants that can be grown as hedges.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

Hedge: Hedge

How it is grown

A plant of the warm tropical lowlands with low to high rainfall. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 28c, but can tolerate 12 - 34c. It succeeds with a mean annual rainfall in the range 300 - 3,500mm. Often an epiphytic plant, though it also grows on the ground. Requires a well-drained soil and a pH of 6 or lower. Prefers a pH in the range 5.3 - 6.7, tolerating 5 - 7.5. Widely cultivated in the tropics and subtropics, it has often escaped from cultivation and become naturalised. It has been classified as 'invasive' in some areas, where it often spreads vegetatively. Plants grow well, but do not always set fruit well, when growing in the wetter areas of the tropics. They can have 4-6 fruiting cycles per year. Flowering Time: Late Summer/Early Fall. Bloom Color: Green White/Near White. Spacing: 12-15 in. (30-38 cm).

Propagating it: Seed - Stem cuttings. The cuttings are usually dried out for a week or two. The plants are self sterile and have to be pollinated by bats and moths. Hand pollination is recommended for good fruit production.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Shrub

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Plant has spines or sharp edges; use extreme caution when handling

Its other names

Local names

Dragon Fruit, Red Pitaya, Strawberry Pear, Night blooming Cereus, Queen of the Night, Honolulu Queen, Chacam, Chak-wob, Flor de caliz, Junco tapatio, Night blooming cereus, Pitahaya, Pitaia-branca, Pitaia-vermelha, Pitaya orejona, Pitaya, Pratiel puehs, Queen of the night, Reina de la noche, Strawberry pear, Tasajo, Thang loy, Zacamb,

Synonyms

Cereus tricostatus Gosselin Cereus undatus Haw. Hylocereus guatemalensis (Weing.) Britton & Rose Hyl