Pitaya

{{pp|small=yes}} {{short description|Fruit of several cactus species}} {{for multi|the city in Thailand|Pattaya|the Thai weightlifter|Pitaya Tibnoke|the Australian author|Pitaya Chin|other uses|Pitahaya (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}} {{cs1 config|name-list-style=vanc|display-authors=3}} frameless|right|alt=Ripe, longitudinal section [[File:Dragonfruit Chiayi market.jpg|thumb|Dragon fruit sold in a market in Chiayi, Taiwan|alt=Market stall in Taiwan]]

'''Pitaya''' ({{IPAc-en|p|ᵻ|.|ˈ|t|aɪ|.|ə}}) or '''pitahaya''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|p|ɪ|.|t|ə|.|ˈ|h|aɪ|.|ə}}), also known as '''dragon fruit''' and '''strawberry pear''', is the fruit of several species of cactus native to southern Mexico and the Pacific coasts of Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala.<ref name="cabi">{{cite web|title=''Hylocereus undatus'' (dragon fruit)|url=https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/27317|publisher=CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International)|access-date=19 April 2018|date=3 January 2018|website=Invasive Species Compendium}}</ref><ref name="morton">{{cite web |vauthors=Morton JF |date=1987 |title=Strawberry pear, ''Hylocereus undatus'' Britt. and Rose; ''Cereus undatus'' Haw.; In: Fruits of Warm Climates |pages=347–348 |url=https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/strawberry_pear_ars.html |publisher=Center for New Crops and Plant Products, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University|access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref> Pitaya is cultivated in East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, continental America, the Caribbean, Australia, Brazil, Madeira (Portugal),<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-16 |title=Direcção de Agricultura quer produção de pitaia no Porto Santo {{!}} Funchal Notícias {{!}} Notícias da Madeira - Informação de todos para todos! {{!}} Notícias da Madeira e do Porto Santo |url=https://funchalnoticias.net/2024/01/16/direccao-de-agricultura-quer-producao-de-pitaia-no-porto-santo/ |access-date=2025-08-25 |website=Funchal Notícias |language=pt-BR}}</ref> and throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

''Pitaya'' usually refers to fruit of the genus ''Stenocereus'', while ''pitahaya'' or ''dragon fruit'' refers to fruit of the genus ''Selenicereus'' (formerly ''Hylocereus''), both in the family Cactaceae.<ref name=cabi/><ref name=morton/><ref name="EoFN">{{cite book |editor-last1=Janick |editor-first1=Jules |editor-last2=Paull |editor-first2=Robert E. |year=2008 |chapter=C |title=The Encyclopedia of Fruit and Nuts |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cjHCoMQNkcgC&pg=PA215 |location=Cambridge, United Kingdom|publisher=CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International)|pages=215–216, 222–226 |isbn=978-0-85199-638-7}}</ref> The common name in English, ''dragon fruit'', derives from the leather-like skin and scaly spikes on the fruit exterior, evoking dragon skin. Depending on the variety, pitaya fruits may have sweet- or sour-tasting flesh that can be red, white, or yellow in color.

== Vernacular names == These fruits are commonly known in English as strawberry pear or dragon fruit, a name used since 1963, apparently resulting from the leather-like skin and prominent scaly spikes on the fruit exterior.<ref name="mwd">{{cite web |title=Dragon fruit |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dragon%20fruit#h1 |publisher=Merriam-Webster Dictionary|access-date=25 March 2019 |date=2019}}</ref> The fruit is often designated as "Vietnamese dragon fruit" as Vietnam is the lead exporter.<ref>{{Cite book |last1= Menon |first1= Jayant |last2= Roth |first2= Vathana |title= Agricultural Trade between China and the Greater Mekong Subregion Countries: A Value Chain Analysis |date=2022-06-21 |publisher=ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute |isbn=978-981-5011-13-5 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=DB-CEAAAQBAJ&dq=vietnamese+%22dragon+fruit%22&pg=PA264}}</ref> The fruit may also be known as a ''strawberry pear''.<ref name="morton"/><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Mitcham|first1=Elizabeth Jeanne|last2= Tonetto de Freitas|first2= Sérgio |title= Quality of pitaya fruit (''Hylocereus undatus'') as influenced by storage temperature and packaging |date= August 2013 |journal= Scientia Agricola |volume=70 |issue=4 |pages= 257–262 |doi=10.1590/S0103-90162013000400006 |issn= 0103-9016 |doi-access= free |url= http://ainfo.cnptia.embrapa.br/digital/bitstream/item/69395/1/Tonetto.pdf}}</ref>

The names {{lang|es|pitahaya}} and {{lang|es|pitaya}} derive from Mexico, and {{lang|es|pitaya roja}} in Central America and northern South America, possibly relating to pitahaya for names of tall cacti species with flowering fruit.<ref name=morton/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_768_2005-01-11.html|title=Dragon fruit|publisher=National Library Board, Singapore Government|date=2017|access-date=January 27, 2026|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121174239/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_768_2005-01-11.html|archive-date=21 November 2016}}</ref>

== Geography == [[File:Dragonfruit028.JPG|thumb|Dragon fruit juice in Thailand|alt=Juice being sold in Thailand]] Pitaya is native to the region of southern Mexico and along the Pacific coasts of Guatemala, Costa Rica, and El Salvador.<ref name=cabi/><ref name=morton/> It was introduced to Indochina by the French around 1860.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nobel |first=Park S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DISMqbY-igwC |title=Cacti: Biology and Uses |date=2002-07-10 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-23157-3 |page=192 |language=en}}</ref> The dragon fruit is cultivated in East Asia, South Asia (see dragon fruit farming in India), Southeast Asia, the United States, the Caribbean, Australia, and throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world.<ref name=cabi/><ref name=morton/>

== Varieties == === ''Stenocereus'' === ''Stenocereus'' fruit (sour pitaya; ''pitaya agria'', ''S. gummosus'') is from a cactus variety having its origin in Baja California.<ref name="ua-sg">{{cite web |title=''Stenocereus gummosus'' |url=https://apps.cals.arizona.edu/arboretum/taxon.aspx?id=1227 |publisher=The University of Arizona Campus Arboretum |access-date=13 April 2026 |date=2025}}</ref> The fruit is commonly harvested in arid regions of the Americas and preferred for its sour, juicy flesh and taste.<ref name=ua-sg/> The sour pitaya in the Sonoran Desert has been a food source for indigenous peoples of the Americas.{{cn|date=April 2026}} The Seri people of northwestern Mexico harvest the fruit, calling the plant ''ziix is ccapxl'' – "thing whose fruit is sour".{{cn|date=April 2026}}

The fruit of related species, such as ''S. queretaroensis'' and the dagger cactus or ''pitaya de mayo'' (''S. griseus''), are also consumed.<ref name="EoFN"/>{{rp|223–225}} The fruit of the organ pipe cactus (''S. thurberi'', called ''ool'' by the Seris) is the ''pitaya dulce'' or "sweet pitaya".<ref name="ua-st">{{cite web |title=''Stenocereus thurberi'' - organ pipe cactus |url=https://arboretum.arizona.edu/snyder-preserve-stenocereus-thurberi |publisher=The University of Arizona Campus Arboretum |access-date=13 April 2026 |date=2026}}</ref>

=== Dragon fruit, ''Selenicereus'' === [[File:Dragon fruit.JPG|thumb|upright|Fresh ripe dragon fruit in Vietnam]] Sweet pitayas come in three types, all with leathery, slightly leafy skin:<ref name="EoFN"/>{{rp|215–216}} * ''Selenicereus undatus'' (''Pitaya blanca'' or white-fleshed pitaya, also known as ''Hylocereus undatus'') has pink-skinned fruit with white flesh. This is the most commonly seen "dragon fruit". * ''Selenicereus costaricensis'' (''Pitaya roja'' or red-fleshed pitaya, also known as ''Hylocereus costaricensis'', and possibly incorrectly as ''Hylocereus polyrhizus'') has red-skinned fruit with red flesh. * ''Selenicereus megalanthus'' (''Pitaya amarilla'' or yellow pitaya, also known as ''Hylocereus megalanthus'') has yellow-skinned fruit with white flesh.

The fruit normally weighs from {{convert|150 to 600|g|oz|frac=2}}; some may reach {{convert|1|kg|lboz|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=''Hylocereus undatus'' (dragon fruit)|url=https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/27317|access-date=2020-10-12|website=Invasive Species Compendium|date=2022 |language=en|publisher=CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International)|doi=10.1079/cabicompendium.27317 |last1=Rojas-Sandoval |first1=J. |last2=Praciak |first2=A. |doi-access=free}}</ref> Early imports from Colombia to Australia were designated "''Hylocereus ocampensis''" (or "''Cereus repandus''", the red fruit) and "''Cereus triangularis''" (supposedly, the yellow fruit or the three-sided cross-section of the stem).

===Pulp pigmentation=== The pulp of red pitaya contains the red pigment, betalain (also called betacyanin), whereas the white variety is absent of this color compound.<ref name="lande">{{cite journal |vauthors=Lande VK, et al. |title=A comparative analysis of red and white dragon fruit pulp and juice characteristics |journal=Journal of Applied Horticulture |date=2024 |volume=26 |issue=2 |pages=244-7 |doi=10.37855/jah.2024.v26i02.46 |url=https://www.horticultureresearch.net/jah/A%20comparative%20analysis%20of%20red%20and%20white%20dragon%20fruit%20pulp%20and.pdf |issn=0972-1045}}</ref> Polyphenol content is also higher in red than in white pitaya.<ref name=lande/>

After a thorough cleaning of the seeds from the pulp of the fruit, the seeds may be stored when dried. The ideal fruit is unblemished and overripe.

Seeds grow well in a compost or potting soil mix – even as a potted indoor plant. Pitaya cacti usually germinate after between 11 and 14 days after shallow planting. As they are cacti, overwatering is a concern for home growers. As their growth continues, these climbing plants will find something to climb on, which can involve putting aerial roots down from the branches in addition to the basal roots. Once the plant reaches a mature {{convert|10|lb|kg|abbr=off|order=flip}} in weight, the plant may flower.{{Clarify|date=May 2012}}

Commercial plantings can be done at high density with between {{convert|1100 and 1350|/ha|/acre|0}}. Plants can take up to 60 months (260 weeks) to come into full commercial production, at which stage yields of {{convert|20 to 30|MT|ST|0}} can be expected.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://amorentia.co.za/dragon-fruit/|title=Dragon Fruit – Amorentia Sweet Dragon Fruit|access-date=2018-06-05}}</ref>

Pitaya flowers bloom overnight and usually wilt by the evening.<ref>{{cite book|last=Boning|first=Charles R.|title=Florida's Best Fruiting Plants: Native and Exotic Trees, Shrubs, and Vines|year=2006|publisher=Pineapple Press, Inc.|location=Sarasota, Florida|isbn=978-1-56164-372-1|page=185}}</ref> They rely on nocturnal pollinators such as bats or moths for fertilization. Self-fertilization will not produce fruit in some species and while crossbreeding has resulted in several "self-fertile" varieties, cross-pollinating with a second, genetically distinct plant of the same species generally increases fruit set and quality. This limits the capability of home growers to produce the fruit. However, the plants can flower between three and six times per year depending on growing conditions. Like other cacti, if a healthy piece of the stem is broken off, it may take root in the soil and become its own plant.

The plants can endure temperatures up to {{convert|40|C|F}} and short periods of frost but will not survive long exposure to freezing temperatures. The cacti thrive most in USDA zones 10–11 but may survive outdoors in zone 9a or 9b.<ref name=morton/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/living/home-garden/article1977019.html|title=Dragon fruit surprisingly easy to grow|publisher=Miami Herald|author=Setzer, Kenneth|date=26 July 2014|access-date=19 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320143829/http://www.miamiherald.com/living/home-garden/article1977019.html|archive-date=20 March 2017}}</ref>

''Selenicereus'' has adapted to live in dry tropical climates with a moderate amount of rain. In numerous regions, it has escaped cultivation to become a weed and is classified as an invasive weed in some countries.<ref name=cabi/>

=== Pests and diseases === Stems and fruits are susceptible to several diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, a nematode, and a virus.<ref name=":0" /> Overwatering or excessive rainfall can cause the flowers to drop and fruit to rot.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Masyahit|first1=M.|last2=Sijam|first2=K.|last3=Awang|first3=Y.|last4=Ghazali|first4=M.|title=The Occurrence of Anthracnose Disease Caused by ''Colletotrichum Gloeosporioides'' on Dragon Fruit (''Hylocereus'' SPP.) in Peninsular Malaysia|date=February 2013|journal=Acta Horticulturae|issue=975|pages=187–195|doi=10.17660/actahortic.2013.975.20|issn=0567-7572|url=http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/29505/1/The%20occurrence%20of%20anthracnose%20disease%20caused%20by%20Colletotrichum%20gloeosporioides%20on%20dragon%20fruit.pdf}}</ref> The bacterium ''Xanthomonas campestris'' causes the stems to rot. ''Dothiorella'' fungi can cause brown spots on the fruit. Other fungi known to infect pitaya include ''Botryosphaeria dothidea'', ''Colletotrichum gloeosporioides'' and ''Bipolaris cactivora''.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal|last1=Balendres|first1=M|last2=Bengoa|first2=J|date=2019|title=Diseases of dragon fruit (''Hylocereus'' species): Etiology and current management options|journal=Crop Protection|volume=126|article-number=104920|doi=10.1016/j.cropro.2019.104920|s2cid=202020863|doi-access=free|bibcode=2019CrPro.12604920B}}</ref>

== Uses == === Culinary === The fruit's texture is sometimes likened to that of the kiwifruit because of its black, crunchy seeds. The seed oil contains linoleic acid.<ref name = ariffinetal2008>{{cite journal |first1=Abdul Azis |last1=Ariffin |first2=Jamilah |last2=Bakar |first3=Chin Ping |last3=Tan |first4=Russly Abdul |last4=Rahman |first5=Roselina |last5=Karim |first6=Chia Chun |last6=Loi |year=2008 |title=Essential fatty acids of pitaya (dragon fruit) seed oil |journal=Food Chemistry |volume=114 |issue=2 |pages=561–64 |doi=10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.09.108|url=http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/14553/1/Essential%20fatty%20acids%20of%20pitaya.pdf }}</ref> Dragon fruit is used to flavor and color juices and alcoholic beverages, such as "Dragon's Blood Punch" and the "Dragotini".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Small|first1=Ernest|title=Top 100 Exotic Food Plants|date=2011|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781439856888|page=105|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Au3RBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA105|access-date=29 July 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118210349/https://books.google.com/books?id=Au3RBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA105|archive-date=18 November 2017}}</ref> The flowers can be eaten or steeped as tea.<ref>{{cite book|last1=K|first1=Lim T.|title=Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants: Volume 1, Fruits|date=2012|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=9789048186617|page=641|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tixF72IuRFwC&pg=PA641|access-date=29 July 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118210349/https://books.google.com/books?id=tixF72IuRFwC&pg=PA641|archive-date=18 November 2017}}</ref>

The red and purple colors of some ''Selenicereus'' fruits are due to betacyanins, a family of pigments that includes betanin, the same substance that gives beets, Swiss chard, and amaranth their red color.<ref name="rebecca">O. P. S. Rebecca, A. N. Boyce and S. Chandran (2010), [https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajb/article/viewFile/78317/68682 "Pigment identification and antioxidant properties of red dragon fruit (''Hylocereus polyrhizus'')"] African Journal of Biotechnology, volume 9, issue 10, pp. 1450–54.</ref><ref name="tang">C. S. Tang and M. H. Norziah (2007) [https://journal.ugm.ac.id/ijc/article/download/21678/14383 "Stability of betacyanin pigments from red purple pitaya fruit (''Hylocereus polyrhizus''): Influence of pH, temperature, metal ions and ascorbic acid"] Indonesian Journal of Chemistry, volume 7, issue 3, pp. 327–31.</ref>

==Nutrition==

{{nutritional value | name=Pitaya, raw | water=84 g | kcal = 57 | fat=0.14 g | protein=0.36 g | carbs=15.2 g | fiber=3.1 g | sugars=9.75 g | calcium_mg=9 | iron_mg=0.18 | magnesium_mg=7 | phosphorus_mg=12 | potassium_mg=116 | sodium_mg=1 | zinc_mg=0.1 | manganese_mg= | vitC_mg=4.3 | thiamin_mg=0.012 | riboflavin_mg=0.026 | niacin_mg=0.161 | pantothenic_mg= | vitB6_mg=0.026 | folate_ug=7 | choline_mg=5.1 | vitE_mg=0.12 | vitK_ug=4.4 | note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2344729/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry] }} Raw pitaya is 84% water, 15% carbohydrates, and contains negligible protein and fat (table). In a reference amount of {{convert|100|g}}, pitaya provides {{convert|57|kcal|kJ|abbr=off}} of food energy, with no micronutrients in significant content (table).

=== Seed oils === The fatty acid compositions of the seed oils of ''Selenicereus costaricensis'', syn. ''Hylocereus costaricensis'' (red-fleshed pitaya) and ''Selenicereus undatus'', syn. ''Hylocereus undatus'' (white-fleshed pitaya) were similar: myristic acid (negligible), palmitic acid (17%), stearic acid (5%), palmitoleic acid (about 1%), oleic acid (22%), cis-vaccenic acid (3%), linoleic acid (50%), and α-linolenic acid (1%).<ref name = ariffinetal2008 />

== Gallery == <gallery> File:Dragonfruit tree.jpg|Pitaya "tree" File:Naozhou - P1570863 - dragon fruit.JPG|Plantation in Naozhou Island File:Hylocereus undatus in bloom in Kona.jpg|Nocturnal flowering File:Yellow dragon fruit (50831s).jpg|Yellow ''S. megalanthus'' File:Hylocereus polyrhizus.jpg|Red ''S. costaricensis'' File:Jus buah naga.jpg|''Jus buah naga'', purple pitaya juice, Indonesia File:Pitaya Colors.jpg|Red, yellow and white fruits File:MAPElNorte025.JPG|Dress for a folk dance called ''Flor de Pitahaya'' "Pitahaya Flower" from Baja California Sur displayed at the Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City File:Dragon fruit (Pitaya).jpg|Dissected pitaya </gallery>

== See also == * List of culinary fruits * ''Opuntia'' – prickly pear cacti with edible "cactus figs" or ''tunas'' fruit

== References == {{reflist|30em}}

== External links == *{{Commons category-inline|Pitaya}}

Category:Cacti of Mexico Category:Cacti of South America Category:Central American cuisine Category:Crops originating from North America Category:Desert fruits Category:Drought-tolerant plants Category:Epiphytes Category:Edible fruits Category:Fruits originating in North America Category:Selenicereus Category:Mesoamerican cuisine Category:Night-blooming plants Category:Stenocereus Category:Tropical agriculture Category:Tropical fruit