| English: | Dragon fruit |
| English: | Pitaya Pitahaya Strawberry pear Red pitaya Red pitahaya Conderella plant Belle of the night Night blooming cereus |
| Spanish: | Pitahaya roja Flor de caliz Pitajava Junco Junco tapatio Pitahaya orejona Reina de la noche Tasajo |
| French: | Fruit du dragon Cierge-lézard Poire de chardon |
| German: | Drachenfrucht Distelbirne Pitahaya |
| 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 (but varieties with other colors exist) 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: | Dragon fruit grows in any soil but likes rich organic matter plus sand. It prefers well-drained soils. |
| Light: | Dragon fruit likes bright sunshine. |
| 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. |
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