Night-Blooming Cereus

The night-blooming cereus (Hylocereus undatus), also called the white-fleshed pitaya, red pitahaya, strawberry pear, belle of the night, or dragonfruit, amongst other local names, is an epiphytic cactus thought to be native to Central and South America.

Native Range
The original range of the night-blooming cereus is hard to determine, as this species has been grown horticulturally for many years and were thus introduced to many countries before population records began.*

It may be native only to just Central America(*/**) or both Central and northern South America(***/****).

It is generally believed to be native from southern Mexico to Costa Rica(*). Whether or not the native range extends south beyond there is disputed.

North America
In North America, the night-blooming cereus has been introduced to east, south and central Florida,^ as well as the Hawaiian islands of Oah'u and Kaua'i.****

Central America
Due to the uncertain native range of the night-blooming cereus, it is hard to say where in Central America this species is not native. It may be introduced to Cuba.***

Oceania
The night-blooming cereus has become established widely in eastern Australia.^^

Africa
Night-blooming cereus is in South Africa, where it has a status of NEMBA category 2.** It may also be present in Cape Verde.***

Pathways and Introduction
The night-blooming cereus is grown in many parts of the world for it's fruit. It is also grown ornamentally for its flowers which open at night.**

Also, birds are known to spread the seeds of this species.**

Night-blooming cereus was first brought to Hawaii in 1830.****

Impacts
The weight of night-blooming cereus plants which have climbed up the trunk of a tree can result in a great imbalance to cause the tree to fall.^^

Control and Removal Methods
No control or removal methods are currently in place for this species due to its low invasive impact.