Hi, I saw a climbing cactus while in Mexico last week that I would like to add to my garden. I was down in Tulum (Yucatan peninsula south of Playa Del Carmen). Any help IDing this cactus would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! martin.
Looks like a Pitahaya - either Stenocerus gummosa or Hylocerus spp. Tough to know without seeing the fruiting body. As you were in Mexico, I'd venture that it's more likely the Stenocerus. You might be interested to know that this plant produces a tasty and edible fruit, called Pitahaya or Pitaya in Latin America, and Dragonfruit in North America. If it's Hylocerus, this should be yellow and sweet; the Stenocerus is smaller and more bitter but thirst-quenching. Pitahaya are native to Central and South America; with your zone in Houston you should have no trouble growing them in your garden - just make sure to train them up a tree or trellis, since they're natural climbers.