Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) Britton & Rose, Cactaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: belle of the night, dragon fruit, night-blooming cereus, pitahaya, queen of the night, red pitaya, strawberry pear

French: belle de nuit, pitahaya rouge, pitaya, raquette tortue

Hawaiian: pāniniokapunahou, pāpipi pua

Spanish: chacam, chak-wob, flor de Caliz, junco tapatío, pitahaya dulce, pitahaya orejona, reina de la noche, zacamb

Habit:  succulent

Description:  "Sprawling terrestrial or epiphytic vines; stems 3-winged, the wings 2-3 cm wide, thin, crenate with calloused margins.  Areoles with 1-4 conical spines 1-3 mm long.  Flowers nocturnal, 25-30 cm long, 15-25 cm in diameter; sepaloid perianth parts greenish white, linear to linear-lanceolate, 10-15 cm long, 1-1.5 cm wide, inner perianth parts white, oblanceolate, 10-15 cm long, ca 2.5 cm wide; staminal filaments cream-colored; style cream-colored, 17.5-20 cm long; stigma lobes up to 24, cream-colored.  Berries red, fleshy, splitting, oblong, 5-12.5 cm long, 4-9 cm in diameter."  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 418-419)

"Climbing or scrambling succulent plant to at least 10 m high on trees.  Stems triangular, jointed.  Margins scalloped, becoming horny.  Areoles c. 4 cm apart; areolar spines to 4 mm long" (Sykes, 1970; p. 53).

Habitat/ecology:  Tropics.  Commonly introduced as an ornamental and for its fruits but can naturalize.  Pollinated by bats in its native Mexico.  In Hawai‘i, "widely cultivated..., rarely setting fruit, but spreading, often extensively, vegetatively"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 418-419). In New Caledonia, "est commune, vigoureuse et parfois spontanée" (MacKee, 1994; p. 25).

Propagation:  Seed, cuttings, pieces.

Native range:  Mexico and Central America.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	cultivated	Sykes, Bill (year unknown)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J. (2004) (p. 93)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J. (2004) (p. 93)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 418-419)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaho‘olawe Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 418-419)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 418-419)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 418-419)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 418-419)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 418-419)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Ni‘ihau Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 418-419)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 418-419)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced cultivated	Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. (1994) (p. 110)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 25) Vouchers cited: Guillaumin & Baumann 7103, MacKee 25130
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced	Sykes, W. R. (1970) (p. 53) Voucher cited: CHR 168865
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2000) (p. 24)
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate (2004) (p. 11)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Cultivé/naturalisé"

Comments:  Both cultivated and wild specimens on Niue (Space & Flynn, 2000).

Additional information:  Information from the Purdue University NewCROP web site.

Additional online information about Hylocereus undatus is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Hylocereus undatus may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Florence, J. 2004. Flore de la Polynésie française, Vol. 2. Paris. IRE Editions, Publications Scientifiques, Collection Faune et Flore Tropicales 41. 503 pp.

Lavergne, Christophe. 2006. List des especes exotiques envahissantes a La Reunion. Unpublished manuscript (Excel file). .

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2000. Report to the Government of Niue on invasive plant species of environmental concern.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 34 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate. 2004. Report to the Government of Niue and the United Nations Development Programme: Invasive plant species on Niue following Cyclone Heta. UNDP NIU/98/G31 - Niue Enabling Activity. 80 pp.

Sykes, Bill. 0. Bill Sykes, pers. com.

Sykes, W. R. 1970. Contributions to the flora of Niue. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 200, Wellington. 321 pp.

Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. 1994. The flora of Nauru. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. Atoll Research Bulletin 392:1-223.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).