Pitaya

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A pitaya is the fruit of several cactus species, most importantly of the genus Hylocereus (sweet pitayas). These fruit are also known as pitahaya, dragon fruit, huǒ lóng guǒ (火龍果/火龙果, "fire dragon fruit"), lóng zhū guǒ (龙珠果 "dragon pearl fruit"), strawberry pear, nanettikafruit, or thanh long. Native to Mexico and Central and South America, the vine-like epiphytic Hylocereus cacti are also cultivated in Southeast Asian countries such as Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia. They are also found in Okinawa, Israel, northern Australia and southern China. Hylocereus blooms only at night; they have large white fragrant flowers of the typical cactusflower shape, that are often called Moonflower or Queen of the Night. Sweet pitayas have a creamy pulp and a delicate aroma.

Stenocereus^[1], which the Seris call ziix is ccapxl - "thing whose fruit is sour". The fruit of related species, such as S. queretaroensis and Dagger Cactus (S. griseus)^[2], are also locally important food.

Fruits of some other columnar cacti (mainly Cereus) are also called "pitayas" - for example those of the Peruvian Apple Cactus (Cereus peruvianus).

If not otherwise stated, the following information refers specifically to the "dragon fruits" of Hylocereus species.

Contents 1 Cultivation 1.1 Pests and diseases 2 Fruit 2.1 Nutritional information 3 Gallery 4 See also 5 Footnotes 6 References

[edit] Cultivation

Hylocereus has adapted to live in dry tropical climates with a moderate amount of rain. The dragon fruit sets on the cactus-like trees 30-50 days after flowering and can sometimes have 5-6 cycles of harvests per year. There are some farms in Vietnam that produce 30 tons of fruit per hectare every year.^[3]

[edit] Pests and diseases

Overwatering or excessive rainfall can cause the flowers to drop and fruit to rot. Birds can be a nuisance. The bacterium Xanthomonas campestris causes the stems to rot. Dothiorella fungi can cause brown spots on the fruit, but this is not common.

[edit] Fruit

Sweet pitayas come in three types, all with leathery, slightly leafy skin:

• Hylocereus undatus (Red Pitaya) has red-skinned fruit with white flesh. This is the most commonly-seen "dragonfruit".
• Hylocereus costaricensis (Costa Rica Pitaya, sometimes called H. polyrhizus) has red-skinned fruit with red flesh
• Hylocereus megalanthus (Yellow Pitaya) has yellow-skinned fruit with white flesh.

The fruit can weigh from 150-600 grams and the flesh, which is eaten raw, is mildly sweet and low in calories. Eating the fruit is sometimes likened to that of the kiwifruit due to a prevalence of sesame seed-sized black crunchy seeds found in the flesh of both fruits which make for a similar texture upon consumption. The skin is not eaten. The fruit may be converted into juice or wine; the flowers can be eaten or steeped as tea. Although the tiny pitaya seeds are eaten with the flesh, the seeds are indigestible. It is generally recommended that dragon fruit be eaten chilled, for improved flavor. Ingestion of significant amounts of red dragonfruit (particularly Costa Rica Pitaya) may result in a reddish discoloration of the urine and faeces.^[4]

[edit] Nutritional information

• Red-skinned pitayas^[5] are rich in vitamins^[6], especially Vitamin C.
• Pitayas are rich in fiber and minerals, notably phosphorus and calcium. Red pitayas are richer in the former, yellow ones in the latter^[5]. In Taiwan, diabetics use the fruit as a food substitute for rice and as a source of dietary fibre.
• Pitayas are also rich in phytoalbumins which are highly valued for their antioxidant properties.
• Costa Rica Pitayas are rich in antioxidants^[7] which prevent the formation of cancer-causing free radicals.

The typical nutritional value per 100g of raw pitaya (of which 55 g are edible) is as follows:^[5]

• Water 80-90 g
• Carbohydrates 9-14 g
• Protein 0.2-0.5 g
• Fat 0.1-0.6 g
• Fiber 0.3-0.9 g
• Ash 0.4-0.7 g
• Calories: 35-50

• Calcium 6-10 mg
• Iron 0.3-0.7 mg
• Phosphorus 16 - 36 mg

• Carotene (Vitamin A) traces
• Riboflavin (Vitamin B₂) traces
• Niacin (Vitamin B₃) 0.2-0.45 mg
• Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) 4-25 mg

[edit] Gallery

Red Pitaya (Hylocereus undatus)	Red Pitayas for sale in Poland	Red Pitaya, cut open	Another opened Red Pitaya
Costa Rica Pitaya (Hylocereus costaricensis)	Flesh of Costa Rica Pitayas	Costa Rica Pitaya flower	Yellow Pitaya (Hylocereus megalanthus)

[edit] See also

• Opuntia, prickly pear cacti whose edible fruit are called "cactus figs"

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] References

• Felger, Richard & Moser, Mary B. (1985): People of the desert and sea: ethnobotany of the Seri Indians. University of Arizona Press, Tucson
• Jacobs, Dimitri (1999): Pitaya (Hylocereus undatus), a Potential New Crop for Australia. Australian New Crops Newsletter 11: 16.3. HTML fulltext
• Lauri, Bob (2000): Ocean Oasis Field Guide - Stenocereus gummosus. Retrieved 2007-OCT-01.
• Villalobos, Soraya; Vargas, Orlando & Melo, Sandra (2007): Uso, manejo y conservacion de "yosú", Stenocereus griseus (Cactaceae) en la Alta Guajira colombiana [Usage, Management and Conservation of yosú, Stenocereus griseus (Cactaceae), in the Upper Guajira, Colombia]. [Spanish with English abstract] Acta Biologica Colombiana 12(1): 99-112. PDF fulltext