| Description |
Pineapples are tropical evergreen plants in the Bromeliaceae family that produce fruit of the same name. Pineapple plants have short, stocky stems and thick, waxy leaves that grow in a rosette pattern. The plant creates up to 200 purple to red flowers whose fruits coalesce around the stem into the pineapple. The stem becomes the core of the pineapple fruit. Pollination is discouraged because seeds detract from the quality of the fruit. Side shoots, or suckers, grow around the fruit from the main stem and can be left to produce additional fruit or removed for propagation. Pineapples take at least 16 months to produce fruit and most grow only 1-3 fruits in their lifetime. Pineapple fruit can be as long as 30 cm and weigh up to 6 kg. Pineapple plants are not frost-tolerant. They need temperatures consistently between 18-35° C and 70-80% humidity. Temperatures below 18° C will slow fruit growth and make it more acidic than sweet. Temperatures at or below -2.2° C will kill the plant. They can be grown indoors in containers or greenhouses in cooler regions, but plants will have lower, less sweet fruit yields and be mostly ornamental.
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