Pineapple is a tropical bromeliad grown for its edible fruit, a multiple fruit formed from fused flowers. Give it full sun, well-drained soil and warmth, and it can take roughly a year to fruit from a crown or sucker.
Family
Bromeliaceae (Pineapple family)
Grows as
Shrub
Light
Full sun
Water
Water deeply when the top few centimetres of soil are dry, and avoid waterlogging.
Soil
Free-draining, slightly acidic mix such as a sandy loam or potting mix with added grit.
Temperature
20–30 °C; protect below 10 °C
How easy
Easy
Safety
Not known to be toxic
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
Costa Rica to S. Trop. America
Climate
seasonally dry tropical
About
The pineapple (Ananas comosus) is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae.
The pineapple is native to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuries. The introduction of the pineapple plant to Europe in the 17th century made it a significant cultural icon of luxury. Since the 1820s, pineapple has been commercially grown in greenhouses and many tropical plantations. The fruit, particularly its juice, has diverse uses in cuisines and desserts.
How to grow it
In commercial farming, flowering can be induced artificially, and the early harvesting of the main fruit can encourage the development of a second crop of smaller fruits. Once removed during cleaning, the top of the pineapple can be planted in soil and a new plant will grow. Slips and suckers are planted commercially.
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Pineapple by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.