5 Fun Facts About Pineapple Plants

Citrus.com is known for our citrus trees for sale online and great advice on how to grow citrus trees. But we can provide you with other types of fruit trees as well – and fruit-producing plants that aren’t trees, like the beloved pineapple!

Here are some interesting facts about the fascinating pineapple plant:

  1. A pineapple is technically a berry (well…a bunch of berries fused together). It’s true – a pineapple is what’s known as a collective fruit rather than a single fruit. A single pineapple consists of many berries that have grown together. So while a pineapple plant produces just one pineapple plant before it dies, you could argue that it produces a full crop of “berries!” (Good thing pineapple plants grow quickly, like our fast-growing citrus trees!)
  2. Pineapples aren’t native to Hawaii. Pineapples were once a symbol of the Hawaiian Islands, and no wonder – most of the world’s pineapples were grown there. But while pineapples grow very well in the Hawaiian climate, they are not native to the Islands…they actually hail from South America originally. Nowadays, Costa Rica supplies three-quarters of the world’s pineapple market.
  3. Pineapples don’t grow on trees. If you had a vision in your head of swaying, palm-like trees dotted with pineapples in a tropical setting, you’ll need to adjust your thinking a bit – pineapples don’t actually grow on trees. Like an aloe plant, a pineapple plant resembled a spiky crown of leaves growing right up out of the ground. These tapered, sword-like leaves grow up to 5 feet long.
  4. Pineapple plants don’t grow from seeds. A pineapple plant flowers only once and produces just one pineapple out of the top of the central stem of the plant before it dies. But if it doesn’t produce seeds, how does the pineapple reproduce before it dies? Well, you know that leafy “crown” growing out of the top of the fruit? Remove that and you’ll find small root that, when planted into the ground (or a pot) will produce a new pineapple plant. Before the mature plant  dies it also produces offspring in the form of suckers or “pups” that grow between the leaves of the mature pineapple (these tend to produce smaller fruit , though, do to the competitive environment).
  5. Pineapple plants can grow in pots. We at Citrus.com are known for providing help for growing citrus in pots, but did you know you can grow pineapple in pots, too? In fact, pineapple is one of the few tropical plants that are well-suited to growing in pots. They have spectacular flowers and are very easy to care for, too. The downside? It can be difficult to get them to fruit with full-time indoor living, so you’re still best off living in a place that’s sunny and warm most of the time if you want to grow pineapples at home.

Regardless whether you grow them yourself or purchase them online or in stores, pineapples are well worth making a regular part of your diet. Not only are they delicious, they’re supremely good for you, too. And no one can dispute they are one of the most interesting fruits in the world!