Pineapple

Heyyyy! I’m Pineapple :). I live in tropical climates all over the world and I’m looking for somewhere with lots and lots of sunlight, warm temperatures, and high humidity.

Appearance: 

I’m a small shrub, and usually grow to 3-5 ft tall. I have a short stocky stem to grow my fruit on top of, surrounded by tall, waxy green leaves.

Where I’m from:

I’ve moved around a lot in the last few thousand years. I’m indigenous to South America, originating around Brazil and Paraguay. I was cultivated as early as 1200 BC by Peruvians, and later by Mayans and Aztecs. By 1400 I was widely distributed among Native Americans, and was eventually brought to Europe by colonizers, but didn’t really like the climate there. Nowadays I’m common in Central and South America, parts of Asia, and a bunch of different islands.

My fruit:

• I can produce up to 200 flowers when growing fruit, and the pineapple is actually many different flowers’ fruit all fused together

• I grow my best, most sugary pineapples at an elevation of about 900 ft

• My fruit has always been my main purpose, and I’m a delicious staple food in Hawaiian culture and just about everywhere else I go!

Random things about me:

• In the wild, my main pollinators are hummingbirds, sometimes bats too

• But when I’m cultivated/commercially produced, I’m almost always pollinated by hand

• I can absorb water and nutrients through my leaves, not just my roots

• I do a little something called CAM photosynthesis, where I capture and store carbon at night and release it during the day to help me photosynthesize