Ananas comosusPineapple

Ananas comosus is a terrestrial bromeliad that forms a stiff rosette of strap-shaped, spiny-margined grey-green leaves roughly a metre across. The familiar fruit sits on a short stout stem in the centre of the rosette, and the ornamental and variegated selections are grown for the rosette alone.

Planted in blocks it reads as a strongly textured groundlayer, and its tolerance of heat and intermittent water suits it to both interior schemes and sheltered tropical courtyards.

Specifications

• Height1.0 to 1.5 metres
• Width1.0 to 1.5 metres
• Native toSouth America, in the region between southern Brazil and Paraguay
• FoliageStiff, strap-shaped grey-green leaves with spiny margins, arranged in a dense rosette; evergreen
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilPrefers free-draining sandy or loamy soils rich in organic matter
• LightFull sun to bright indirect light indoors
• WaterModerate; tolerates dry spells through crassulacean acid metabolism
• ClimateThrives in tropical and subtropical regions; frost sensitive

Additional Features

• FruitThe composite fruit forms on a short central stem and ripens over several months
• UsesInterior landscaping, planters, textured groundlayers and edible display planting
• SpacingPlant 0.6 to 0.9 metres apart for a continuous textured block
• Low MaintenanceRemove spent rosettes after fruiting and retain the offsets that follow
• Pest ResistanceGenerally robust; mealybug can appear on plants held under glass
• FormSymmetrical rosette with a strong radial pattern, effective in repetition

The Pineapple gives interior and tropical schemes a bold, architectural groundlayer with an edible payoff.