What is the difference between epiphyllum and dragon fruit flowers? A quick guide to tell them apart

Epiphyllum and dragon fruit flowers not only look alike and are hard to tell apart, they also indeed have a “family relationship.” According to "Flora of China," they both belong to the cactus family. So what is the difference between epiphyllum and dragon fruit flowers?

Dragon fruit is a climbing succulent shrub of the genus Hylocereus in the cactus family, with the scientific name “Hylocereus undatus.” Epiphyllum is an epiphytic succulent shrub of the genus Epiphyllum in the cactus family.

It is impossible to distinguish epiphyllum from dragon fruit flowers with the naked eye alone. If you look only at the flowers, even Sun Wukong's fiery golden eyes probably could not tell the difference between epiphyllum and dragon fruit flowers, but we can look at the branches! Hylocereus undatus has “many branches, extending, with three angles or ridges,” while epiphyllum has “many branches, leaf-like and laterally flattened.”

There are very obvious differences between dragon fruit and epiphyllum. The entire dragon fruit plant has succulent stems and leaves, flowering and fruiting on the stems and leaves, and it is covered with spines. Its white flowers have a layer of green skin on the outside; the leaves of the entire epiphyllum plant are relatively slender, and its flowers have a layer of red skin on the outside, carry a certain fragrance, cannot bear fruit, and the plant has no spines.

The stems of dragon fruit have spines, and the flowers generally open at 9 p.m. and only wither the next morning. Its flowers are very large, with a layer of green green skin on the outside; epiphyllum has no spines on its body, and its flowers generally bloom at night and wither after 3 hours. Its flowers are very white, carry a certain fragrance, and have a layer of red skin on the outside.