Dragon fruit (or pitaya) is the fruit of a cactus which blooms at night. This page provides some basic information about the dragon fruit and some dragonfruit photos.
| Scientific name: | Hylocereus undatus |
| English: | Dragon fruit |
| English: | Pitaya |
| English: | Pitahaya |
| English: | Strawberry pear |
| English: | Red pitaya |
| English: | Red pitahaya |
| English: | Conderella plant |
| English: | Belle of the night |
| English: | Night blooming cereus |
| Dutch: | Pitaya |
| Spanish: | Pitahaya roja |
| Spanish: | Flor de caliz |
| Spanish: | Pitajava |
| Spanish: | Junco |
| Spanish: | Junco tapatio |
| Spanish: | Pitahaya orejona |
| Spanish: | Reina de la noche |
| Spanish: | Tasajo |
| French: | Fruit du dragon |
| French: | Cierge-lézard |
| French: | Poire de chardon |
| German: | Drachenfrucht |
| German: | Distelbirne |
| German: | Pitahaya |
| Italian: | Pitahaya |
| Italian: | Pitaya |
| Family: | Cactaceae |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Origin: | Mexico, Central and South America |
| Distribution: | Mexico, Central and South America, South-East Asia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Southern China, Israel |
| Evergreen or deciduous: | Evergreen |
| Flowers: | The plant flowers only at night. The large white flowers are called "moonflower" or "queen of the night". |
| Leaves: | It's a vine-like plants in the cactus family. The cactus-like tree has no leaves. |
| Fruits: | The typical bright pink or red colored fruits weigh from 200 to 700 grams. They are 7-10 cm wide and 10-15 cm long. The flesh inside is white and contains many small black seeds. It has a mildly sweet taste. The fruit is supposed to have the color and shape of a dragon's eye. Towards the end of the fruit are several soft scales with a greenish color. |
| Climate and weather: | Dry tropical climates. Requires moderate amounts of rain. |
| Pollination: | Self pollination. But pollination improves if bees or ants are present and by hand pollination. |
| Height: | The plant is often grown along cement poles of about 2 meter height with wooden crosspieces to support the vines. |
| Type of soil: | Grows in any soil but likes rich organic matter plus sand. Prefers well-drained soils. |
| Light: | Like bright sunshine. |
| Spacing (close range) | 3 meter? |
| Spacing (wide range) | |
| Propagation: | Propagated by seed or by cutting. |
| Insect pests: | Few pests: aphids, mealybugs |
| Diseases: | Stem rot (Xanthomonas campestris), Collar rot (Phytopthora sp.), Root rots (Fusarium sp., Alternara sp.) |
| Fruit development: | Fruits are produce throughout the year. |
| Harvesting: | Hand pick the mature fruits. |
| Uses: | Fruits are peeled and the white flesh is eaten fresh. Fruits can also be used to prepare juice or wine. |
Dragonfruit shake / Pitaya shake
Ingredients:
One dragonfruit, syrup, salt, and ice.
How to prepare
it:
Cut the dragon fruit into small pieces. Put ice, dragonfruit, syrup and a little bit of salt into the blender.
Blend it fine and then serve in a beautiful glass.
Please send me a message if you know more dragon fruit recipies.
Last modified: 23 August 2010 - Copyright © 1995-2010 by Hein Bijlmakers - Contact me
