![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Pitaya_cross_section_ed2.jpg/640px-Pitaya_cross_section_ed2.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Pitaya
Fruit of several cactus species / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A pitaya (/pɪˈtaɪ.ə/) or pitahaya (/ˌpɪtəˈhaɪ.ə/) is the fruit of several different cactus species indigenous to the region of southern Mexico and along the Pacific coasts of Guatemala, Costa Rica, and El Salvador.[1][2] Pitaya is cultivated in East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the United States, the Caribbean, Australia, Brazil, and throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world.
![Ripe, longitudinal section](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Pitaya_cross_section_ed2.jpg/640px-Pitaya_cross_section_ed2.jpg)
![Market stall in Taiwan](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Dragonfruit_Chiayi_market.jpg/640px-Dragonfruit_Chiayi_market.jpg)
Pitaya usually refers to fruit of the genus Stenocereus, while pitahaya or dragon fruit refers to fruit of the genus Selenicereus (formerly Hylocereus), both in the family Cactaceae.[3] The common name in English – dragon fruit – derives from the leather-like skin and scaly spikes on the fruit exterior. Depending on the variety, pitaya fruits may have sweet- or sour-tasting flesh that can be red, white, or yellow in color.