Cladode characters such as number of spines (3–5), length of areoles (mm) as 1–4, margin ribs of cladode (convex or concave) and its waxiness (weak or strong white waxy or light waxy) could be used for identification of three Hylocereus spp. Morphological characterization revealed that presence of considerable amount of genetic variations among them especially for fruit characters viz., colour of peel and pulp. This study aims to distinguish three dragon fruit species well adapted to Andaman and Nicobar Island through morphological (34 quantitative and 26 qualitative traits), biochemical (5 traits) and molecular (14 ISSR primers) characterization. Dragon fruit ( Hylocereus spp.), an important tropical fruit belonging to the family Cactaceae, is rich in essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, dietary fibres and antioxidants.
