Pineapple

Each pineapple flower in the central cluster blooms for only one day, and then develops into a fruitlet attached to a common stalk. As the mass of fruitlets ripens and swells, it takes on the characteristic pinecone shape. Plants are grown from shoots, cuttings, or from the fruit’s leafy crown. It takes about 20 months for a pineapple plant to bear one fruit. The second and third harvests may yield two fruits.

Most fields are replanted after three harvests. Nice to know; an excellent fiber is made from the leaves.

Pineapples are members of the Bromeliaceae family.

The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuries.

Since the 1820s, pineapple has been commercially grown in greenhouses and many tropical plantations. It is the third most important tropical fruit in world production. In the 20th century, Hawaii was a dominant producer of pineapples, especially for the US; however, by 2016, Costa Rica, Brazil, and the Philippines accounted for nearly one-third of the world’s production of pineapples.