Mexican Ghost Pipe Cactus (Stenocereus thurberi)
The Mexican Ghost Pipe Cactus, also known as Organ Pipe, is a fruit-bearing cactus that produces sweet deep pinkish-purple fruit known as Pitahaya Dulce.
Large, gorgeous flower buds in lavender, pale white, and pink will open for weeks at a time. Flowers usually open and are pollinated at night. Long greenish gray slender curving stems grow from the base of the cactus. It will usually grow to 15-20 feet but can reach lengths up to 30 feet.
The prized red fruits are large and spiny, and ripen in late summer. When they mature, they lose their spines and open to show an edible, red pulp. Can be eaten fresh, dried, turned into jelly, make into syrup or fermented into a wine-like drink.
Plant Type
Fruiting Cactus
Harvest Season
Summer-Fall
Mature Size
4-30 ft. tall, spreading 2-10 ft.
Soil & Moisture
Dry, well-draining, cactus soil, little moisture is needed, drought tolerant
Light Requirements
Full Sun
Self-Fertile
Yes
Growth Rate
Slow, grows about 2.5 inches a year
Zone Hardiness
Outdoors 9-11 with frost protection; Patio/Greenhouse 4+
Propagation