Description

Selenicereus undatus, the white-fleshed pitahaya, is a species of Cactaceae and is the most cultivated species in the genus. It is used both as an ornamental vine and as a fruit crop – the pitahaya or dragon fruit.

The native origin of the species has never been resolved though central and southern America have been named as possibilities.

Common names of Selenicereus undatus

Dansk: Dragefrugt
English: pitahaya, dragon fruit, night blooming cereus, strawberry pear, Belle of the Night, Cinderella plant, Jesus in the cradle, moonflower[3]
Estonian: maasik-metskaktus
Finnish: pitaija, lohikäärmehedelmä
French: pitaya, fruit du dragon, cierge-lézard, poire de chardon
German: Drachenfrucht, Distelbirne
Greek: Φρούτο του δράκου (fruto tu draku)
Hawaiian: panini-o-ka-puna-hou (“Punahou cactus”) – a famous specimen still grows at Punahou School
Japanese: pitaya (ピタヤ), dragon fruit (ドラゴンフルーツ),
Korean: Yong-gwa (용과, 龍果, literal translation of dragon fruit),
Portuguese: pitaia, cato-barse, cardo-ananaz, rainha da noite
Spanish: pitahaya roja (Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela); flor de caliz, pitajava (Puerto Rico); junco, junco tapatio, pitahaya orejona, reina de la noche, tasajo (Mexico)
Swedish: skogskaktus, röd pitahaya
Vietnamese: thanh long
Thai: แก้วมังกร (kaeo mangkon)
Malay: buah naga. pronounce:boo-ah naa-gaa
Chinese: 火龙果, 火龍果; pinyin: huǒlóngguǒ
Italian: Pitahaya, Frutto del Drago
Bengali: ড্রাগন ফল (dragon fal)
Lithuanian: kertuotis
Myanmar: နဂါးမောက်သီး

Stems of Selenicereus undatus (Dragon fruit plant)

Dragonfruit stems are scandent (climbing habit), creeping, sprawling or clambering, and branch profusely. There can be 4–7 of them, between 5 and 10 m or longer, with joints from 30–120 cm or longer, and 10–12 cm thick; with generally three ribs; margins are corneous (horn-like) with age, and undulate.

Areoles, that is, the small area bearing spines or hairs on a cactus, are 2 mm across with internodes 1–4 cm. Spines on the adult branches are 1–4 mm long, being acicular (needle-like) to almost conical, and grayish brown to black in colour and spreading, with a deep green epidermis.

Flowers of Selenicereus undatus (Dragon fruit plant)

The scented, nocturnal flowers are 25–30 cm long, 15–17 cm wide with the pericarpel 2.5–5 cm long, about 2.5 cm thick, bracteoles ovate, acute, to 2.5 to less than 4 cm long; receptacle about 3 cm thick, bracteoles are linear-lanceolate, 3–8 cm long; outer tepals lanceolate-linear to linear, acuminate (tapering to a point), being 10–15 cm long, 10–15 mm wide and mucronate (ending in a short sharp point).

Their colour is greenish-yellow or whitish, rarely rose-tinged; inner tepals are lanceolate (tapering to a point at the tip) to oblanceolate (i.e. more pointed at the base), up to 10–15 cm long about 40 mm wide at widest point, and mucronate, unbroken, sharp to acuminate (pointed), and white.

Stamens 5–10 cm long, are declinate, inserted in one continuous zone from throat to 35 mm above the pericarpel and cream. The style (bearing the stigma) to 17, they are 5–24.5 cm long, stout, 6–8 mm thick, cream, and up to 26 stigma lobes, they can be whole or sometimes split at the top, cream, about 25 mm long. Nectar chambers are 30 mm long.

The fruit is oblong to oval, 6–12 cm long, 4–9 cm thick, red with large bracteoles, with white pulp and edible black seeds.

Growing Selenicereus undatus (Dragon fruit plant)

The dragon fruit plant is versatile and can grow in sun or shade and in moist or dry conditions. For maximum growth they do enjoy compost and watering.

Selenicereus undatus is lithophytic or hemiepiphytic.

Like all true cacti, the genus originates in the Americas, but the precise origin of the species Selenicereus undatus is uncertain and it may be a hybrid.

It is a sprawling or vining, terrestrial or epiphytic cactus. They climb by use of aerial roots and can reach a height of 10 meters (32.8 feet) or more growing on rocks and trees.

It is widely distributed through the tropics in cultivation.

Etymology of Selenicereus undatus (Dragon fruit plant)

Greek “hyle” – wood, matter, Latin “cereus” – waxen, Latin “undatus” – wavy edges of the ribs.

Synonyms Selenicereus undatus (Dragon fruit plant)

Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) Britton & Rose (1918:256)
Cactus triangularis ssp. aphyllus Jacquin (1763)
Cereus triangularis ssp. major Candolle (1828)
Cereus undatus Haworth (1830)
Cereus tricostatus Gosselin (1907)
Hylocereus tricostatus (Gosselin) Britton & Rose (1909)

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References

• Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon^{[ISBN missing]}

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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article “Aloe arborescens”, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.