Common Name: Pineapple

General Information

Ananas comosus is a succulent, herbaceous, perennial plant with a short, thick stem topped by a rosette of leaves from which develops the inflorescence and the fruit. The plant grows 75 - 125cm tall[, ].
One of the most important fruit crops in the world, the pineapple is widely cultivated for its edible fruit in the Tropics and parts of the subtropics, with commercial production in most tropical countries[, ]. It is also cultivated, to a lesser extent, for the fibre obtained from the leaves[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Brazil.

Habitat

Savannahs[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist, mainly lowland tropics, where it can also be found at elevations up to 1,800 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 21 - 30°c, but can tolerate 10 - 36°c[]. The plant can be damaged or killed if temperatures drop to 5°c for any prolonged period of time, and is killed by even a short period at 0°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 800 - 2,500mm, but tolerates 550 - 3,500mm[].
Plants can tolerate full sun to fairly dark shade[]. Prefers a light, well-drained, humus-rich soil that is on the acid side[, ]. Prefers a pH in the range 4.5 - 8, tolerating 3.5 - 9[]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[].
Commercial cultivation is largely limited to latitudes between 25°S - 25°N, but it can also be found to 33°S[].
Fruits tend to be smaller and less sweet when grown at higher elevations and most pineapples are grown near the sea in areas with a high atmospheric humidity often on hill slopes[].
The plant requires 11 - 36 months from planting until the first crop of fruit. When grown commercially, the plant has an economic life of just 2 - 3 years, though the plant may continue to live and fruit for over 50 years[].
The optimum yield is 60 - 80 tonnes/ha for the first harvest; the first ratoon crop yields approximately 10% less; the second ratoon crop 30% less[].
A shallow-rooted plant[].
Individual plants are self-sterile, but sexual fertilization is unnecessary because fruit is produced parthenocarpically[].
There are many named varieties[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw, cooked or preserved[, ]. A very succulent, aromatic, sweet, acidic pulp[]. It can be eaten fresh or canned as dessert, cooked in dishes, and is also commonly used for making juice[]. The core of the fruit is made into candies[]. The fruit is a good source of vitamins A and C[]. The fruit is a multiple fruit formed by the almost complete fusion of 100 - 200 berry-like fruitlets. It can weigh between 0.5 and 2.5 kilos[]. The fruits are about 30 - 60 cm long[].
A sugar-syrup is obtained from the pressed juice[].

Terminal buds - raw or cooked[]. They can be cooked as a vegetable or added to soups[].

Flowering stem - cooked[]. Peeled and sliced, they are used as a cooked vegetable or are added to stews[].

Young shoots are eaten in salads or curries[].

Medicinal

Pineapple fruits contain bromelain, a protein-splitting enzyme that aids digestion[].
The sour, unripe fruit improves digestion, increases appetite and relieves dyspepsia[]. In Indian herbal medicine it is also thought to act as a uterine tonic[]. It is used as a treatment to ease sore throats[]. It is eaten in some areas, either on its own or cooked with Citrus aurantiifolia) to procure an abortion[].
The ripe fruit cools and soothes - it is used to settle wind and reduce excessive gastric acid[, ]. Its significant fibre content make it a useful laxative for relieving constipation[]. The juice of the ripe fruit is both diuretic and a digestive tonic[].

The leaves are anthelmintic and purgative[]. They considered useful in encouraging the onset of menstruation and easing painful periods[].
The leaves are used to treat fractures[].

The juice of the plant is applied to burns, itches and boils[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plants can be grouped as a groundcover in a mass planting[].

Other Uses

A hard fibre is obtained from the leaves[, ]. Strong and silky[]. Both the wild and cultivated plants yield fibres which, when spun, surpass in strength, fineness and lustre those obtained from flax (Linum usitatissimum)[]. The fibre is white, soft, silky, flexible, and long in staple; it is remarkably durable, and unaffected by immersion in water. It can be employed as a substitute for silk, and as a material for mixing with wool or cotton[]. It is also useful for cordage, textile fabrics, sewing silk or twist, laces, as a material for stringing necklaces etc[]. It produces the celebrated pina cloth of the Philippine Islands[].

Propagation

Seed - cultivars do not breed true and so seed production is usually restricted to the search for new cultivars[].
Crowns (leafy clumps atop mature fruits)[]. Remove the leafy crown by twisting or cutting, remove any remaining yellow fruit attached to the crown then dry it for one or two days[]. Place the crown in a moist potting soil mix or in water until roots appear[].
Stem cuttings made after fruiting[]. Remove the leaves from the stems, and cut into pieces or lay intact in trays, covering with 2cm of rooting medium[]. Give bottom heat at around 20 - 27°c until roots are formed[].
Lateral shoots[].

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