Dragonfruit facts for kids
Pitaya fruit, pitahaya fruit, commonly known as the dragon fruit, is a fruit from Central America, South America, and Asia. It has a light sweet taste, an intense shape and colour, and has a texture of between that of a kiwi and an apple. In addition to being tasty and refreshing, it contains a lot of water and other important minerals with varied nutritional ingredients.
Benefits
Dragon fruit is often considered a tropical “super-food” because of its health benefits. It is also known as “pitaya” if it comes from the very closely related Stenographers genus. The actual dragon fruit is the fruit of the cactus genus Hylocereus. It has its origins in Mexico, South America, and Central America. New World settlers probably brought it to Southeast Asian nations like Cambodia, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines, where it is still an important part of the diet.
Images for kids
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Longitudinal section of a ripe pitahaya
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Pitaya at a market stall in Taiwan
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Dragon fruit juice being sold in Thailand
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Ripe dragon fruit in Vietnam
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Pitaya seedling
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A dragon fruit field in China
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In Ninh Thuận, Vietnam
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Pitaya tree
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Pitaya plantation in Naozhou Island, China
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Nocturnal pitahaya flowers
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White pitahaya Selenicereus undatus
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Yellow pitahaya Selenicereus megalanthus
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Red pitahaya Selenicereus costaricensis
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Pitaya fruit in various colors
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Dress for a folk dance called Flor de Pitahaya "Pitahaya Flower" from Baja California Sur displayed at the Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City
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See also
In Spanish: Pitahaya para niños
