Pineapple, Ananas comosus

Pineapple - Ananas comosus

Fig. 1

Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.

Close-up

Fig. 2

Almost ripe

Flower of pineapple (Anannas comosus) at Iriomote. Okinawa, Japan

Fig. 3

Flower of pineapple (A. comosus) at Iriomote, Okinawa, Japan

Inflorescence

Fig. 4

Fig. 5

Fig. 6

Fig. 7

Fig. 8

Fig. 9

Rat or racoon damage

Fig. 10

Protection with wire mesh against critters

Fig. 11

Pineapple field in Ghana

Fig. 20

Pineapples prepared for sale in China

Fig. 21

Banglam Phoo, Bangkok, Bangkok

Fig. 22

Marché de Saint-Paul, La Réunion

The Big Pineapple, between Port Alfred and Bathurst on the R67 in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Fig. 23

The Big Pineapple, between Port Alfred and Bathurst on the R67 in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

A young Innovator passionate about agriculture and discovery. Founded Agrotourism in Guinea

Fig. 24

A young Innovator passionate about agriculture and discovery. Founded Agrotourism in Guinea.

Dunmore Pineapple, near Falkirk, Scotland

Fig. 25

Dunmore Pineapple, near Falkirk, Scotland

Scientific name
Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.
Pronunciation
uh-NAN-us ko-MO-sus
Common names
English: pineapple and ananas; Spanish: piña; Javanese and Malay: nanas; Philippino: apangdan; Thai: yaannat, sapparot, or bonat
Synonyms
A. acostae C. Commelijn; A. argentata J.C.Wendl. ex Schult. & Schult.f.; A. aurata J.C.Wendl. ex Schult. & Schult.f.; A. bracteatus Baker; A. bracteatus var. hondurensis Bertoni; A. bracteatus var. paraguayensis Bertoni; A. coccineus Descourt.; A. comosus var. comosus; A. comosus f. sativus (Schult. & Schult.f.) Mez; A. comosus var. variegatus (Lowe) Moldenke; A. debilis Schult. & Schult.f.; A. maxima Schult. & Schult.f.; A. monstrosus (Carrière) L.B.Sm.; A. ovatus Mill.; A. pancheanus André; A. penangensis Baker; A. porteanus Veitch ex K.Koch; A. pyramidalis Mill.; A. sativa Lindl.; A. sativus Schult. & Schult.f.; A. sativus var. hispanorum Bertoni; A. sativus var. muricatus Mez; A. sativus var. pyramidalis Bertoni; A. sativus var. variegatus Lowe; A. sativus var. viridis (Mill.) Bertoni; A. serotinus Mill.; A. viridis Mill.; Ananassa ananas (L.) H.Karst.; A. debilis Lindl.; A. monstrosa Carrière; A. porteana (Veitch ex K.Koch) Carrière; A. sativa (Schult. & Schult.f.) Lindl. ex Beer; Bromelia ananas L.; B. ananas Willd.; B. ananas var. prolifera F.Cuvier; B. communis Lam.; B. comosa L.; B. mai-pouri Perrier; B. pigna Perrier; B. rubra Schult. & Schult.f.; B. violacea Schult. & Schult.f.; B. viridis (Mill.) Schult. & Schult.f.; Distiacanthus communis (Lam.) Rojas Acosta ⁵
Relatives
Bromiliads, Spanish moss, and tillandsia ¹
Family
Bromeliaceae
Origin
Central and South America and the Caribbean
USDA hardiness zones
10-11
Uses
Specimen; fruit; ground cover; border; accent; culinary ²
Height
1-3 ft (0.3-1 m) ²
Spread
3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m)
Plant habit
Perennial; herbaceous
Growth rate
Slow
Trunk/bark/branches
Usually with one stem/trunk ²
Leaves
Most emerge from the soil, usually without a stem; spiny, linear, parallel, evergreen ²
Flower
Red, summer flowering ²
Fruit
Seedless syncarp; oval; 6-12 in. (15.2-30.5 cm); fleshy, yellow
Season
May to Sept.
USDA Nutrient Content ^pdf
Light requirement
Plant grows in part shade/part sun ²
Soil tolerances
Slightly alkaline; clay; sand; acidic; loam ²
pH preference
4.5-6.5
Drought tolerance
High ²
Flooding tolerance
Not very tolerant of excessively or continuously wet or flooded soil conditions ¹
Air salt tolerance
Wind-borne salt spray results in blackish spots near the the tips of leaves ¹
Cold tolerance
28 °F (-2.0 °C)
Plant spacing
4 ft (1.2 m) on center
Roots
Usually not a problem ²
Invasive potential *
Not known to be invasive ²
Pest/disease resistance
Sensitive to one or more pests or diseases ²
Raccoons, squirrels, and opposums will sometimes feed on maturing pineapple fruit
Known hazard
The spines along leaf margins and the stiff point at the leaf apex can cause injury ³
Excessive consumption of pineapple cores has caused the formation of fiber balls (bezoars) in the digestive tract. ⁴

Reading Material
Pineapple Growing in the Florida Home Landscape, University of Florida ^pdf
Ananas comosus Pineapple, University of Florida ^pdf
Ananas comosus, Handbook of Energy Crops
Pineapple, Fruits of Warm Climates
Pineapple, California Rare Fruit Growers

Origin
Pineapple has apparently been cultivated by indigenous people of the tropical Americas and the Caribbean Region for thousands of years. New World explorers then distributed pineapple during the 1500s to 1700s to new areas including Europe, Africa, and Asia. The commercial export trade began during early 19th century from the West Indies. This led to further commercial development of in the Caribbean during the mid-19th century. However, with the improvement in refrigerated sea transportation by the end of the 19th century, production shifted to Hawai'i, Asia, and Africa. In the U.S., Puerto Rico and Hawai'i have moderately large and important industries. Pineapples are not grown commercially in Florida but are common dooryard yard plants in warm locations throughout the state. The first recorded introduction of pineapple into Florida was in 1860. ¹

Description
The pineapple is a herbaceous perennial with long sword-like leaves arranged in a spiral around a central stem and a terminal inflorescence. Leaves may or may not bear marginal spines depending upon variety and cultural practices. Adult plants may be 3 to 6 feet (0.9-1.8 m) high and wide. ¹

Leaves
The leaves are sessile and whorled around a central stem. They increase in size toward the top of the plant. Individual leaves range in length from 2 to 8 inches long (5-20 cm) for new plants and up to slightly more than 5 feet long (1.5 m) on mature, healthy plants. Leaves taper progressively toward the tip and end in a sharp point. Leaves may or may not have spines along their edges depending upon variety and growing conditions. The leaves are semi-rigid and allow the plant to collect water at the base of the leaves, where aerial roots may absorb water and nutrients. Once the plant has produced between 70 and 80 leaves it is ready to flower. ¹

Flowers
The fruit peduncle (stem) and inflorescence develop from the apical growing point. The emergence of the inflorescence is called the red heart stage due to the reddish peduncle bracts at the base of the inflorescence. The inflorescence consists of from 50 to over 200 individual flowers and is capped by a crown of numerous short leaves (up to 150).
The individual flowers are hermaphroditic with three sepals and petals, six stamens and one pistil. The flower petals are white at their bases to violet-blue at their tips. Each flower is surrounded by a hairy bract.
Generally the first flowers open 50 or so days after flower induction and flowering continues for 20 to 40 days. Usually one to 10 flowers open daily beginning around midnight and close the following evening.
Pineapple plants are self-incompatible, meaning pollen from the same variety will not result in seed production and seedy fruit. However, growing several varieties next to each other and flowering simultaneously may result in seedy fruit. To prevent seed formation, either grow only one variety or induce flowering at different times. ¹

Forcing a Pineapple to Flower

Fruit
The fruit of pineapple is a seedless syncarp. A syncarp is a fruit derived from the fusion of many individual flowers into one fruit (Fig. 3). The fruit consists of the fused ovaries, bases of sepals and bracts, and cortex of the central core. When fruit are mature (ready to pick), the individual fruitlets flatten and the peel color begins to change from green to yellow progressively from the base to the top of the fruit. Fruit may weigh up to 5 lbs (2.3 kg) or more. Ripe fruit have a yellow peel and pleasant aroma. The pulp is yellow to golden yellow, sweet, and juicy. ¹

Varieties Page

Harvesting
The time from planting to harvest depends upon the cultivar, cultural practices, and temperature; it ranges from 18 to 24 months. ¹

Propagation Page

Planting
Pineapple plants grow best in moderately fertile, sandy loam soils of neutral to mildly acid pH. Plants will grow satisfactorily in sandy and calcareous soils with attention to watering and fertilizer. Pineapple should be grown in well-drained soils and areas of the landscape that do not flood. ¹

How to Grow a Pineapple

Fertilizing
Dry fertilizer mixtures containing 6 to 10% nitrogen (N), 6 to 10% available phosphoric acid (P), 6 to 10% potash (K), and 4 to 6% magnesium (Mg) give satisfactory results with pineapple plants. Pineapple plants may also be fertilized foliarly with mild solutions of nutrient mixes that include NPK and Mg. Foliar sprays containing micronutrients such as zinc and manganese (iron is also sometimes a component) should be applied 2 to 3 times a year during the warm season. ¹

Fertilizer Recommendations, University of Florida

Irrigation
Pineapple plants should be watered during extended dry periods for best plant growth and fruit production. ¹

Pest Page

Disease Page

Food Uses
Pineapple may be used fresh, juiced, dried, made into candies, and incorporated into cooked dishes and desserts. ¹
The pineapple does not lend itself well to freezing, as it tends to develop off flavors. ⁴

Selecting, Preparing and Canning: Pineapple, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, UF/IFAS Extension ^{pdf (archived)}
How to Pick a Pineapple by the color ^{video ext. link}

How to Peel and Cut a Pineapple: ^videos^{ext. links}
the Hard Way
the Easy Way
or if you happen to own the proper tool... you can still cut it the traditional way by
Using a Pineapple cutter


Fig. 12	Fig. 13	Fig. 14


Fig. 15	Fig. 16	Fig. 17	Fig. 18	Fig. 19

Fig. 12. Pineapple tarte tatin
Fig. 13. Pineapple tarts, Singapore
Fig. 14. Pineapple salsa
Fig. 15. Candied, crystallized pineapple
Fig. 16. וסות אננס מיובש במרכול בירו. Dried pineapple.
Fig. 17. Close-up view of a Hawai'ian pan pizza
Fig. 18. Pineapple juice
Fig. 19. Piña colada served in a pineapple at the Carnival of Santa Marta Acatitla, Iztapalapa, Mexico City

Medicinal Properties **
Pineapple juice is taken as a diuretic and to expedite labor, also as a gargle in cases of sore throat and as an antidote for seasickness. In Africa the dried, powdered root is a remedy for edema. The crushed rind is applied on fractures and the rind decoction with rosemary is applied on hemorrhoids. Indians in Panama use the leaf juice as a purgative, emmenagogue and vermifuge. ⁴

Other Uses
The pineapple fruit with crown intact is often used as a decoration and there are variegated forms of the plant universally grown for their showiness indoors or out. Since 1963, thousands of potted, ethylene treated pineapple plants with fruits have been shipped annually from southern Florida to northern cities as indoor ornamentals. ⁴
Pineapple juice has been employed for cleaning machete and knife blades and, with sand, for scrubbing boat decks. ⁴

General
Pineapple Plantation in Hawai'i
Pineapple plants are well adapted to planting in a container. ¹


Fig. 26	Fig. 27	Fig. 28	Fig. 29

Fig. 26. Stánek s ananasy, Guatemala
Fig. 27. Pineapple vendors along the road from Huambo to Quibala in Angola
Fig. 28. Waterfront Park (Charleston)
Fig. 29. Ananas dupliqué, République centrafricaine

Further Reading
Home Fruit Production, Aggie Horticulture^®, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Pineapple Cultivation in Hawaii, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa ^pdf
Pineapple: Postharvest Quality Maintenance Guidelines, University of Hawai'i and National Chung-Hsing University ^pdf
The Pineapple, Tropical Fruit News, RFCI

Pineapple Botanical Art

List of Growers and Vendors

Bibliography

¹Crane, Jonathan. "Pineapple Growing in the Florida Home Landscape." Horticultural Sciences Dept., UF/IFAS Extension, HS7, Original pub. 1975, Re-written Oct. 2006, Revised November 2016, Reviewed Dec. 2019, AskIFAS, edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg055. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017, 13 Apr. 2020.
² Gilman, Edward F. "Ananas comosus Pineapple." Environmental Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, FPS039, Original pub. Sept. 1999, Rev. Aug. 2018, AskIFAS, edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fp039. Accessed 17 Dec. 2016, 4 Jan. 2019.
³ Boning, Charles R. Florida's Best Fruiting Plants- Native and Exotic Trees, Shrubs, and Vines. Sarasota, Pineapple Press, 2006.
⁴ Fruits of Warm Climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, 1987.
⁵ "Ananas comosus (L.) Merr synonyms." The Plant List (2010), Version 1, theplantlist.org. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.

Photographs

Fig. ^{^1,4,5,6} Jackson, Karen. "Pineapple Series." 2014, www.growables.org.
Fig.² Monteregina, Nicole. "Texture, Ananas comosus (Bromeliaceae)." Flickr, 2009, www.flickr.com. Accessed 13 Feb. 2015.
Fig.³ "A pineapple flower in Iriomote, Japan." Wikipedia, 2008, (GFDL),(CC BY-SA 3.0), wikipedia.org. Accessed 12 Oct. 2014.
Fig.⁷ Kwan. "Anonas comosus." The Plant Observatory, 2008, naturelovesyou.sg. Web 13 Oct. 2014.
Fig.⁸ Leupold-Löwenthal, Markus. "Pineapple on its plant, Costa Rica." Wikipedia, 2008, wikipedia.org. Accessed 12 Oct. 2014.
Fig.^9,10 Robitaille. Liette. "Pineapple Series." 2014, www.growables.org.
Fig.¹¹ Hiyori13. "Pineapple field in Ghana." Wikipedia, 2005, wikipedia.org. Accessed 12 Oct. 2014.
Fig.¹²stu_spivack. "Pineapple tarte tatin." Flickr, 2009, (CC BY-SA 2.0), www.flickr.com. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.
Fig.¹³Chin. "Pineapple Tarts, Singapore." Flickr, 2006, (CC BY-SA 2.0), www.flickr.com. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.
Fig.¹⁴Haley J. "Pineapple Salsa." Flickr, 2009, (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0), www.flickr.com. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.
Fig.¹⁵Kess, David Adam. "Candied, Crystallized Pineapple." Wikimedia Commons, 2016, (CC BY-SA 4.0), commons.wikimedia.org. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.
Fig.¹⁶יע. "Dried pineapple." Wikimedia Commons, 2012, (CC BY-SA 3.0), commons.wikimedia.org. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.
Fig.¹⁷@joefoodie. "Close-up view of a Hawai'ian pan pizza." Wikimedia Commons, 2009,(CC BY 2.0), commons.wikimedia.org. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.
Fig.¹⁸Binu, Auguste. "Pineapple juice." Wikipedia, 2014, (CC BY-SA 3.0), wikipedia.org. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.
Fig.¹⁹lejandroLinaresGarcia. "Piña colada served in a pineapple at the Carnival of Santa Marta Acatitla, Iztapalapa, Mexico City." Wikimedia Commons, 2013, (CC BY-SA 3.0), commons.wikimedia.org. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.
Fig.²⁰ Frodesiak, anna. "Pineapples prepared for sale in Haikou, Hainan, China." Wikipedia, 2010, wikipedia.org. Accessed 12 Oct. 2014.
Fig.²¹ Rarcliff, Trey. "al-pineapple." Flickr, 2006, www.flickr.com. Accessed 13 Feb. 2015.
Fig.²²Bouba. "Marché de Saint-Paul, La Réunion." Wikimedia Commons, 2005, (CC BY-SA 2.5), commons.wikimedia.org. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.
Fig.²³NJR ZA. "The Big Pineapple, between Port Alfred and Bathurst on the R67 in the Eastern Cape, South Africa." Wikimedia Commons, 2009, (CC BY-SA 3.0), commons.wikimedia.org. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.
Fig.²⁴Daring Innovator. "A young Innovator passionate about agriculture and discovery. Founded Agrotourism in Guinea." Wikimedia Commons, 2014, (CC BY-SA 4.0), commons.wikimedia.org. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.
Fig.²⁵Otter. "Dunmore Pineapple, near Falkirk, Scotland." Wikimedia Commons, 2009, (CC BY-SA 3.0), commons.wikimedia.org. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.
Fig.²⁶Luisfi. "Stánek s ananasy." Wikimedia Commons, 2010, (CC BY-SA 3.0), commons.wikimedia.org. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.
Fig.²⁷jlrsousa. "Pineapple vendors along the road from Huambo to Quibala in Angola." Wikimedia Commons, 2008, (CC BY-SA 2.0), commons.wikimedia.org. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.
Fig.²⁸rolle, Elisa. "Waterfront Park (Charleston)." Wikimedia Commons, 2013, (CC BY-SA 4.0), commons.wikimedia.org. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.
Fig.²⁹Selengoumadavid. "Ananas dupliqué (République centrafricaine)." Wikimedia Commons, 2012, (CC BY-SA 4.0), commons.wikimedia.org. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.

* UF/IFAS Assessment of Non-native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas
** Information provided is not intended to be used as a guide for treatment of medical conditions.

Published 29 Dec. 2014 LR. Last update 5 Jan. 2023 LR