Ananas species
Family: Bromeliaceae

Native to South America, this fascinating, perennial plant has stiff, sword-like leaves borne in rosettes on short fleshy stems. Grown for its fruit, the pineapple is an important commercial crop in many tropical countries, but in the UK it is grown only as a novelty for its foliage. It needs a warm greenhouse.

Species

Ananas nanus, the smallest of the species, produces decorative, edible fruit, to 10 cm (4 in) or more long.

A. bracteatus var. tricolor is a larger, improved variety with white, yellow, green- and red-striped leaves. It is slow to reproduce.

A. comosus, considered by early European visitors to South America as the finest fruit of all, grows to around 75 cm (30 in). It has long, narrow leaves and dense heads of reddish flowers which develop into the large, fleshy fruit, bearing a rosette of leaves at the top. Some varieties of this species have prickles on the edges and tips of the leaves. A green- and yellow-striped variety, A. c. var. variegatus, makes an attractive pot plant.

Cultivation

Pineapples can be grown in pots using soilless potting compost. Plants need maximum light and a humid atmosphere. In the growing season, water the plants well and feed with a liquid fertilizer about once a week. Reduce watering considerably in winter. Propagate from rooted offsets in summer. Alternatively, propagate from the tuft of leaves at the top of the fruit. Cut it off and treat it like a cutting, rooting it in cuttings compost in a warm propagating case.

Climate

Tropical only.