Dragon fruit, known scientifically as Selenicereus species, is also called pitaya or pitahaya. This fruit originates from the tropical regions of the Americas and is famous for its striking pink or yellow skin and speckled inner flesh. The plant’s unusual appearance, which includes sprawling, segmented stems, often leads to confusion about its true botanical identity. Many people wonder if this tropical climber is a vine, a tree, or if it belongs to the specialized group of plants known as succulents. This article will clarify the botanical classification of the dragon fruit plant.
What Defines a Succulent Plant
A succulent is a plant that possesses specialized physiological adaptations for storing water in its tissues, allowing it to survive periods of drought. This water storage typically occurs in thickened, fleshy leaves, stems, or roots, which contain a high volume of water-storing parenchyma cells.
Plants that exhibit succulence often have a noticeably fleshy appearance, which minimizes their surface-to-volume ratio to reduce water loss. They frequently employ water-saving features like a thick, waxy outer layer, or cuticle, and a specialized photosynthetic process known as Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM). Common examples of succulents include species of Aloe, Agave, and Sedum, all of which store water in their leaves or stems.
Dragon Fruit’s Place in the Plant Kingdom
The dragon fruit plant, which encompasses species such as Selenicereus undatus, belongs to the Cactaceae family, commonly known as the cactus family. All members of the Cactaceae family are considered succulents. This classification is based on the universal presence of water-storing tissues and other drought-resistant adaptations throughout the entire family.
The dragon fruit plant is scientifically a succulent by virtue of its membership in the Cactaceae family. The defining features of a succulent plant are strongly present in the dragon fruit’s stems, which are its primary water reservoir.
The Vining Cactus Structure
The dragon fruit plant exhibits a unique growth pattern that sets it apart from common, barrel-shaped desert cacti. It is an epiphytic or hemiepiphytic climbing cactus, meaning it naturally grows by clinging to structures like trees or rocks in its native habitat. This growth habit results from the plant adapting to the tropical environments of Central and South America where it originated. The plant uses specialized aerial roots that emerge from its stems to anchor itself to supports, enabling it to climb up to 30 feet to reach sunlight.
Its stems are typically three-sided and segmented, serving as the plant’s water storage mechanism. Even though it grows in a wetter climate compared to a desert, the plant’s succulent characteristics are necessary to survive periods of intense competition or occasional drought. The three prominent ribs on the stems are wavy in appearance and may have small spines along the edges.