page_title: Pitaya
section_title: Dragon fruit Hylocereus
hierarchical_section_title: Pitaya / Varieties / Dragon fruit Hylocereus
caption_attribution_description: English: Dragon fruit, Vietnam
context_page_description: A pitaya or pitahaya is the fruit of several different cactus species indigenous to the Americas. Pitaya usually refers to fruit of the genus Stenocereus, while pitahaya or dragon fruit refers to fruit of the genus Hylocereus, both in the family Cactaceae. Dragon fruit is cultivated in Southeast Asia, Florida in the United States, the Caribbean, Australia, Mesoamerica and throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world.
context_section_description: Sweet pitayas come in three types, all with leathery, slightly leafy skin:
  Hylocereus undatus (Pitaya blanca or white-fleshed pitaya) has pink-skinned fruit with white flesh. This is the most commonly seen "dragon fruit".
  Hylocereus costaricensis (Pitaya roja or red-fleshed pitaya, also known as Hylocereus polyrhizus) has red-skinned fruit with red flesh.
  Hylocereus megalanthus (Pitaya amarilla or yellow pitaya, also known as Selenicereus megalanthus) has yellow-skinned fruit with white flesh.
  The fruit normally weighs from 150 to 600 grams (5.3 to 21.2 oz); some may reach 1 kilogram (2.2 lb). Early imports from Colombia to Australia were designated Hylocereus ocampensis (or Cereus repandus, the red fruit) and Cereus triangularis (supposedly, the yellow fruit). It is not quite certain to which species these taxa refer.
caption: Ripe dragon fruit in Vietnam
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