Hylocereus (genus, dragon fruit)

Japanese name: ドラゴンフルーツ
Scientific name: Hylocereus

[Overview]
A forest-dwelling cactus.
It produces aerial roots, climbs trees and other supports, and puts out many branches.
It has 3 ribs, and the areoles bear bristles on young branches, but these eventually become only short spines.
The flowers are solitary, up to 30 cm across, open at night, and have a strong fragrance.
The fruit is elliptical, with green leaf-like projections on the surface.
The skin is reddish purple to pink.
The flesh contains many sesame-like black seeds.
There are several lines, such as white pitaya with white flesh, red pitaya with reddish-purple flesh, and pink pitaya with pink flesh.

[Uses]
The flesh is sweet and eaten fresh.
In Japan only the fruit is eaten, but in its native region the buds and leaves are also eaten.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
In places such as Okinawa it can be grown outdoors, but in regions where night temperatures fall to 8°C or below, grow it in a pot and keep it indoors in winter.
It prefers a sunny spot, but direct summer sun can cause leaf scorch, so provide shade in summer.
If it is too shady, fruiting is poor.
Plant it in well-drained soil; from spring to autumn, water when the soil surface dries, and in winter stop watering if the temperature falls below 10°C.
If watering is stopped, it can endure temperatures down to nearly 0°C.
Overwatering causes root rot.
Because it is a climber and does not stand upright, provide a stake.
The flowers bloom on hanging branches, so tie the branches emerging from the tips of the main branches downward with string or similar, and train the plant into an umbrella shape.
Pollinating by hand with a brush or similar at flowering raises the fruit set rate.
From spring to autumn, apply a slow-release organic fertilizer with somewhat more phosphorus, placed on the soil.
Pests and diseases include damping-off when the soil is kept too wet, and aphids and scale insects that can appear in summer if ventilation is poor.

[Notes]
Yellow pitaya, which has yellow skin and white flesh, belongs to a different genus, Selenicereus megalanthus.
The same is true of those sold under the names golden pitaya and yellow dragon.

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