The name Selenicereus comes from Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon, an apt tribute for a plant whose enormous blooms appear only after dark. Dragon fruit is native to the tropical forests of Mexico and Central America, where its sprawling, three-ribbed stems scramble over rocks and up tree trunks using aerial roots. Growing 8 to 20 feet under good conditions, it is a cactus in every botanical sense, succulent and spined, but its scale and drama place it well outside the tidy pot-cactus category. The nocturnal flowers are spectacular: fragrant, solitary, and golden-yellow in color, they open once and are gone by morning. Bats are the primary pollinators.

The fruit that follows, the familiar red-skinned, white-fleshed pitaya, weighs anywhere from half a pound to three pounds and is rich in antioxidants. In commercial production, a single plant can yield five to six harvest cycles per year. At home, grow it in well-drained loam or cactus mix in full sun, and give it a trellis or sturdy arbor to climb. Water generously through the growing season but reduce sharply in winter. Note that the University of Florida has flagged this species as invasive in Florida. In North Carolina and similar climates, frost eliminates any naturalization risk.