Is it true that pineapple is a berry? What is useful pineapple, the composition and use of the plant. What signs relate to the representatives of pineapple.

Many people love pineapples. For the winter, we prepare salads from canned fruits, often buy pineapple juice or a drink with its taste. In general, pineapple is no longer such an “overseas miracle” that it was a few decades ago. But despite the fact that it flooded the shelves of shops and supermarkets, we still don’t really know what kind of culture it is. Toli pineapple is a fruit or vegetable, roofing felts is a berry, roofing felts is generally a cereal. But we hasten to surprise you, it does not belong to any of these categories. So what is it? Now we will look in detail.

Yes. Basically, it's grass. The product does not fit the description of a fruit, vegetable, berry, and even more so a cereal. In fact, if we consider it from a biological point of view, then this is a unique plant.

Christopher Columbus discovered this plant when he sailed to India, but ended up in America. Accordingly, the birthplace of this herbaceous plant is South America, the island of Guadeloupe. Over time, it was taken to other territories and began to be cultivated in Australia, Africa and Hawaii.

Due to the fact that it is an earthen plant, it is often confused with a vegetable. But, there is also a contradiction. For its sweet taste, it is instantly referred to as a fruit. Yes, and our people are used to the fact that everything overseas is a fruit (the same banana, which is not a fruit).

The pineapple is not whole. In fact, this is an inflorescence, which consists of a bunch of "blinded" berries. But, due to the fact that it does not contain seeds, it cannot be called a full-fledged berry or fruit (we recall the definition of a berry “soft body with a seed”).

Botanically, pineapple is nothing more than a grass, with very long leaves. But if we look at the inflorescence, then this is a cereal. In general, it would seem, a vicious circle.

So what is a pineapple? This question can be answered in several ways:

1. If we consider it from the point of view of cooking, then everyone calls it a fruit. Although it is clear that cooking is a kind of industry that is far from botany.
2. Botanically speaking, it is a herb.
3. From the point of view of the type of fruit, this is a mixed fruit, that is, a very complex fruit that does not fall under the concept of cereal, vegetable, fruit or berry.

Conclusion: Pineapple is a herbal plant with a fruit type of fruit.

Interesting Facts

And so that our article does not seem so short to you, we have prepared interesting facts about him for you.

1. It was first mentioned in the literature of the 16th century. About him was written in the book "Chronicle of Peru".
2. Green pineapples should not be eaten. And it's not because they're not tasty. Firstly, they cause a terrible laxative effect, probably worse than green apricots, and secondly, green pineapple juice burns lips to horror.
3. Pineapple is water. Well, if we talk specifically about the pulp. 80% consists of water. But that doesn't mean he's a dummy. It contains a lot of potassium, vitamins, especially group B, vitamin C, A, and many other macro- and microelements.
4. It contains enzymes that help the human body break down and absorb proteins faster. But the problem is that you can’t eat a lot of fruits, since the same acid can damage the oral mucosa.
5. If you do not get carried away with it too much, then it can bring good benefits to the body. Pineapple improves the functioning of the digestive tract, thins the blood. But, if a person has any diseases of the stomach (ulcer, gastritis), this fragrant product is contraindicated for him.
6. If you are very often motion sick while traveling by car or plane, do not forget to take a glass or two of pineapple juice with you. Excellent relieves the feeling of nausea and normalizes the condition.
7. Pineapple not only gets to the person on the table. He still wears it. Literally. Durable fabrics are made from this herbaceous plant.
8. Even if you are on a diet, this is not a reason to refuse this delicacy. The fact is that 100 grams of the fruit contains only 48 kcal. Also, due to the fact that it contains a lot of potassium salts, the use of pineapple will accelerate the removal of toxins, fluid from the body, which greatly helps in the fight against excess weight.
9. Very actively used in cosmetology. Basically, it is added to face masks for people with oily skin types.
10. In the world of automation, this amazing "hedgehog" is assembled by hand. Each fruit, prickly and capricious, is torn off by hands and ends up on our table.
11. Pineapple can be grown not only in warm countries. It is quite possible to grow it at home. To do this, it is enough to cut off the top of the fruit (with feather leaves) and plant it in a pot. How to grow it and care for it, you can find on the Internet.
12. Pineapple even got on the coat of arms of Jamaica and Antigua. That's how the people appreciate it.
13. Previously, it was very expensive to deliver this fruit from abroad. But people in Russia still wanted to please themselves with pineapples at least once in a while. Therefore, it was decided to grow them in St. Petersburg and the Solovetsky Islands, in special greenhouses. They grew pineapples there until shipping became cheaper.
14. Many people do not like the fact that pineapple is one of the most expensive fruits in stores. But there is a perfectly logical explanation for this. This is due to the ripening period. For a pineapple to become edible, it needs to ripen for at least three years. Hence the high cost.
15. In fact, pineapple is not one fruit. This is a cluster of numerous berries that are tightly combined with each other.
16. Unlike bananas, which are harvested green and ripen on the counter, pineapples completely stop their growing season after they are picked from the garden. For this reason, never buy green fruits. They will never mature anyway.
17. A ripe pineapple spoils quickly. If it is not stored in the refrigerator, it will become unusable after 3 days. In the refrigerator, the fruit retains its freshness for 7-9 days.
18. In Asia, there is a special device with which you can easily separate the skin from the pulp of the fruit.
19. Not only sweets are made from it (sweets, jams, etc.). It is also used to produce delicious pineapple wine.
20. Previously, it was forbidden to use it for pregnant women, allegedly its use led to miscarriages. Now scientists have found that eating the fruit can provoke a miscarriage, but for this you need to eat 10 large, ripe fruits at a time.

Does not prevent obesity

At some point, there was a terrible hype for pineapple. He was addicted to overweight people. The fact is that it contains bromelain, an element that has been touted as a real “fat killer” for many years. According to experts, 1 gr. bromelain could easily break down 900 grams of fat. To get this 1 gram, you had to eat 20 kg of fruit. But in reality, it was a banal marketing that many people fell for. Bromelain cannot break down fats. It breaks down proteins, which helps them to digest faster. Therefore, the product is excellent for weightlifters. But fat is stable in front of him.

A pineapple ( lat. Ananas - a genus of evergreen tropical plants of the family Bromeliaceae (Bromeliaceae).

Unlike most plants of the bromeliad family, pineapple is not an epiphyte and in nature does not grow on other plants, but in the ground, receiving both water and nutrients from the earth.

Pineapple comes from Brazil, and it came to Europe at the end of the 18th century. After 30 years, the British for the first time managed to get the fruits of pineapple in a greenhouse, and since that time it began to be grown everywhere in greenhouses along with oranges - as a favorite dessert of rich people. Horticultural books published in the 19th century detailed how the pineapple was cultivated. At the end of the 60s, commercial export of pineapples from the Azores arose, where this plant began to be grown on an industrial scale, and interest in indoor breeding faded. In 1553, the first description of pineapple is mentioned in the book "Chronicle of Peru" by Cies de Leon.

A pineapple- This is a herbaceous perennial plant with a strongly shortened stem and a dense rosette of leaves. The leaves are rigid, linear, xiphoid, 50-120 cm long and 3-6 cm wide, serrated at the edges, prickly. Mature plants can grow up to 1 meter high and up to 2 meters in diameter. A fleshy stem grows from the basal rosette of leaves, on top of which a peduncle up to 30-60 cm long is formed. The inflorescence is spike-shaped, ending at the top with a "sultan" - a rosette of small bracts. It is this fetal rosette that can be seen on pineapple fruits, which are sold in stores. The spike-shaped inflorescence has more than a hundred greenish-white or slightly purple inconspicuous flowers. Each flower is covered with a red or green bract. Flowering is long, about one month. At the beginning, flowers bloom at the bottom of the inflorescence, then - adjacent to them, and so on to the top. The fruit, formed after the fertilization of numerous flowers of the inflorescence, in appearance resembles a large fleshy pine cone of golden yellow color. Thus, the pineapple fruit is a composite fruit, consisting of many ovaries fused with bracts and the axis of the inflorescence. The infructescence has a cylindrical, conical or ellipsoidal shape. Top covered with scales.

The peel and core of the fruit are inedible. Formation and ripening of fruits lasts 90-200 days. During the year they can harvest 2-3 crops. Sweet and sour, very juicy and fragrant seedless fruits of cultivar pineapple weigh from 800 g to 3.6 kg, in rare cases up to 15 kg. Fruit size varies greatly depending on variety and growing conditions. Pineapple fruits contain vitamins A, B, C, 11-12% sugars, 0.5% organic acids, etc.

Pineapple is consumed fresh and canned (most often in its own juice). For processing, fully ripe fruits are used. Jam is made from it, sweets, juices, wine are made. Waste for the preparation of canned food and juices is used for the production of alcohol and vodka products, as well as the enzyme bromelain. Fiber is obtained from the leaves of some types of pineapple. Because of the wonderful fruits in many tropical and subtropical countries, crested pineapple (Ananas comosus) is cultivated.

In the tropical regions of America: Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela, Colombia, 8 species of pineapple grow; widely cultivated in the tropics and subtropics of both hemispheres. The leading areas of pineapple production are the Hawaiian and Azores, as well as the Philippines, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Ghana, and Guinea. Plantations in India expanded significantly. In Russia, pineapples can be grown in greenhouses. There are 4-6 species in greenhouse collections, 2-3 species are used in room culture. The largest pineapple plantations are concentrated at the beginning of the 21st century in the Hawaiian Islands (about 30% of world production)

It is currently cultivated - at home as a purely ornamental plant, and if a small fruit appears on it - this is an additional reward to the owner.

Types of pineapple

. Synonym: Pineapple pineapple (Ananas ananas), Pineapple duckei (Ananas duckei), Pineapple seed (Ananas sativus), Pineapple seed diff. duckey (Ananas sativus var. duckei), Pineapple bromeliad (Bromelia ananas), Large crested bromeliad (Bromelia comosa).

This is a terrestrial plant with a strongly shortened stem and a rosette of rigid linear xiphoid leaves, in adulthood it has a height of 1 m and a diameter of 2 m. The leaves are gray-green, grooved, strongly narrowed towards the top, covered entirely with scales, seated at the edges with sharp spikes. The flowers are bisexual, 8 cm long, 4 cm wide, spirally arranged in simple dense spike-shaped inflorescences, where they sit in the axils of wide cup-shaped bracts. Petals 1.2 cm long, pinkish-purple, sepals do not grow together, prickly along the edge. After the end of flowering, a compact golden-yellow fruit is formed. The main axis continues to grow, and a shortened vegetative shoot, the “sultan”, is formed at the top of the seed. Blooms in March-April, July, December; fruit maturation lasts 4.5-5 months. Originally from Brazil, found in open places, forest edges, in sparse herbage. In Europe in culture since 1650.

There is the most striking form of variegatus, which is distinguished by its smaller size and white longitudinal stripes along the edges of the leaves.

. The most beautiful view. Leaves up to 70-90 cm long, elongated, with sharp spikes, gray-green or green with a pinkish tinge and a yellow border. Compact infructescence, resembling a cone, consisting of many ovaries fused with bracts and the axis of the inflorescence. The fruits are pink in color. It bears fruit mainly in the summer-autumn period, but very rarely in room culture.

The plant should be protected from direct sunlight. When watering, it is better to use soft water.

Pineapple dwarf (Ananas nanus) . Synonym: Pineapple pineapple diff. dwarf (Ananas ananassoides var. nanus) . This is a new dwarf variety with 20-30 cm leaves.

Lighting. Pineapple is a light-loving plant, it needs good lighting all year round. Optimal for it is suitable for placement near south-facing windows. An indicator of sufficient illumination of a pineapple is the bluish color of old leaves and the reddish tips of young ones; the plant grows dense, strong, its leaves do not fall apart to the sides. In winter and cloudy days, it is advisable to illuminate with fluorescent lamps for 8-10 hours at a distance of about 20 cm.

Temperature. The optimum air temperature for pineapple in the summer is about 22-30°C. In the autumn-winter period, not lower than 18°C. In winter, in order to avoid damage to the plant by the hot air flow emanating from central heating radiators, pots of pineapples are placed in wide pallets with wet sand.

Watering. In the summer, the plant is abundantly watered with soft water at room temperature. In hot weather, water can be poured into the rosette of leaves, but if the air temperature drops below 20 ° C, then the water from the rosettes should be removed. In winter, watering is reduced, if the air temperature drops to 15 ° C, then watering is reduced and completely stopped in order to avoid rotting of the plant.

Pineapple tolerates dry air well, so it does not need additional spraying.

Fertilizer. Fertilizers are applied in spring and summer. It is best to use organic and mineral fertilizers alternately, applying them every 2-3 weeks.

The soil. The soil mixture for growing pineapple is made up of: 2 parts of leafy soil, 1 part of soddy soil, 1 humus and 1 sand or semi-rotted leaves, fibrous peat, rotten, lumpy soddy soil, taken in equal parts. Pineapples need acidic soil pH 4-5. Good drainage is necessary for pineapple, containers for growing pineapple must be taken wide and low, since the root system of pineapple is superficial.

Reproduction. Pineapples are propagated in different ways: by seeds, cuttings, children, root shoots.

Pineapple seeds are small, 1.5 x 4.0 mm in size, yellow-brown, sickle-curved. They are extracted from well-ripened fruits, washed in a weak pink solution of potassium permanganate and dried in air. The substrate for sowing seeds can be leafy soil, coniferous soil, or a mixture of equal parts of peat soil and sand. In this case, the seeds are immersed in the soil to a depth of 1-2 cm, watered with settled water and covered with a transparent film or glass on top.

Sowing is placed in a very warm room (the temperature should not fall below 20 ° C). The rate of emergence of the first shoots depends on the temperature in the room. At a temperature of 20-24°C, seed germination occurs after a month and a half, at 25-27°C - after 20-25 days, and at 30-35°C, the first shoots appear after 15-20 days. Pineapple seeds germinate unfriendly, at different times. So, the germination of some seeds can take 5-7 or more months.

Seedling care comes down to regular watering and spraying. Fertilizer watering is applied twice a month with a solution of mineral fertilizers or bird droppings at the rate of 15-20 g per liter. On hot days, young plants shade from the sun.

When the leaves reach 6-7 cm, the seedlings dive into a loose substrate. It is prepared from equal parts of leaf, sod, peat, humus soil and sand with the addition of a small amount (about 5% of the total substrate volume) of charcoal. In addition, plants must be gradually accustomed to drier air, systematically opening the film cover.

Barren shoots, which often develop under the inflorescence, and the suprafruit rosette of leaves, which are cut along with the top of the fruit, can be cut into cuttings.

To propagate pineapple with a rosette, you need to choose a fruit with a well-developed bunch of leaves and cut off the top 2.5 cm thick from it. The pulp should be cut off, leaving only a bunch of leaves on a fibrous cylindrical core. Sections on the cuttings are treated with a strong solution of potassium permanganate, and then with charcoal powder. After that, the cuttings are dried for 2 days in a dark and dry place. Planted in a substrate of equal parts of leaf, peat soil and sand with the addition of charcoal. Planted cuttings are cultivated under glass or film at a temperature of 22-24 ° C and good lighting. Rooting of cuttings under such conditions usually occurs within 1.5-2 months, at a higher temperature, rooting occurs faster. They are left under a transparent cover for some more time, and when the growth of new leaves intensifies, it is removed, the seedlings are often sprayed with water.

Pineapple can also be propagated by basal children. Side shoots and basal suckers are carefully broken out after they have reached a length of at least 20 cm. Basal suckers often already have their own roots. The cut is sprinkled with crushed charcoal and allowed to dry for 5-7 days in a cool, ventilated place. To improve the formation of roots in coal, it is good to add a stimulant (heteroauxin) as well. Root cuttings only when the cuts are healed. After that, basal rosettes are planted in a substrate composed of two layers: a three-centimeter layer of soddy soil is poured onto the bottom of the pot, and a substrate consisting of one part of leafy soil, one part of humus and two parts of sand is poured on top. Or large washed and calcined sand, fine expanded clay or gravel, broken bricks or cuttings, perlite mixed with long-staple peat. Sometimes the cuttings are rooted immediately in a loose soil mixture for young plants mixed with coarse sand.

The optimum air temperature for the rooting of children is 22-26 ° C, but at the same time, lower heating must be provided so that the temperature of the substrate is not lower than 25 ° C. To increase the humidity, the stalk is covered with a jar or a transparent bag. To do this, stick 3-4 sticks around the cutting between the leaves and cover it with a plastic bag so that the leaves do not touch it. The edges of the bag are pulled together with an elastic band if rooting occurs in a pot. In this case, water droplets will not flow down the leaves, which can cause the cuttings to rot, but along the inner wall of the bag. The plant needs to create optimal conditions: bright diffused light (but not direct sunlight), high humidity and heat, substrate temperature not lower than 25 ° C. At home, it can be heated with fluorescent lamps, or fluorescent lamps, or simply from a central heating battery.

Under favorable conditions, roots appear within months. During this period, it is necessary to monitor the humidity of the substrate, it is important not to overmoisten or overdry it, to systematically ventilate the plants, removing the bag or jar for several minutes daily. The first sign of rooting is the appearance of new light green leaves in the center.

For planting a plant that has given roots, a shallow bowl is used, since the root system of the pineapple is wide and superficial, the roots do not go deep into the soil. A large shard is placed at the bottom with the concave side down or pieces of aluminum wire are laid (you can use plastic or polyethylene gratings). The 2/3 bowl must be filled with drainage. Good drainage and a loose substrate contribute to the development of roots and prevent waterlogging and acidification of the soil during the cold season. Rooted young plants are transplanted into pots filled with a substrate consisting of 2 parts of leafy soil, 1 part of turf, 1 humus and 1 sand. They are kept in warm and bright rooms with a temperature of at least 25°C (optimal - 28-30°C).

Bloom. Pineapple blooms in the 3-4th year (when the length of the leaves reaches about 60 cm, and the diameter of the base is about 10 cm), but sometimes much later, or even does not bloom at all. Acetylene water can be used to stimulate flowering. To do this, dissolve a piece of carbide (15 g) in a liter jar of water. After the end of gas evolution, the solution must be carefully filtered and stored in a refrigerator in a tightly closed jar (so it does not lose its properties for 2 days). A quarter cup of liquid at room temperature is poured into the center of the outlet, where the growth point is located. The next day, the procedure is repeated. Stimulation is possible only in adult plants and in the warm season. After 1.5-2 months, a reddish-red peduncle should appear from the center of the outlet. With a lack of light, it may have a light green color. At this time, it is necessary to maximize the lighting and increase the content of phosphorus and potassium in top dressing by reducing the proportion of nitrogen.

Precautionary measures

Crested pineapple can cause contact dermatitis.

Possible difficulties

Pale leaf color. The reason may be the lack of lighting. Adjust the lighting, on cloudy days, backlighting with fluorescent lamps is necessary.

The rosette of leaves is loose and falls apart to the side. The reason may also be a lack of lighting.

The tops of the leaves turn brown and dry out. The reason, most likely, is insufficient humidity in the room. Spray the plant and increase the humidity in the room.

The plant rots at the base. The likely cause is waterlogging of the soil, and the room is too cold. Move the pineapple to a warmer and better ventilated area, dry the ground a little. If the rot spreads higher, the plant will die. Another cause of rot can be uncut top pulp that you planted in the ground when propagating pineapple tops.

Damaged

Macronutrients in pineapple:

Tags: How to grow pineapple

A pineapple refers to fruits.

in latin

In English: Pineapple

belongs to the family: Bromeliads

Household pineapple parts: Fruit of pineapple.

Description botanical: These are terrestrial trees, herbaceous species, with spiny stems and fairly large leaves. Adventitious roots, of which there are a lot, collect water directly above the soil and absorb moisture that accumulates on the surface of the stems and leaves.

Pineapple leaves are very large and fleshy, up to 80 cm long, they are covered with a thick layer of epidermis, these leaf blades store moisture. During the rainy season, moisture accumulates in the tissues of the leaves of this plant.

In the period when the rosette of leaves has already formed, an inflorescence is formed from the growth point, which has a lot of flowers. Flowering lasts about 20 days, after which a yellowish-golden fruit is obtained. It consists of ovaries that are fused with bracts. At the top of this fruit develops a group of leaves that are vegetative.

Bloom: blooms in the summer months.

pineapple fruit: Pineapple has a beautiful and large enough fruit, which is taken by people for food. It is quite a valuable food item. The weight of a pineapple fruit usually ranges from 0.8 kg to 2 kg. Individual specimens, individual fruits weigh quite a lot, up to 5 kg. Cultivated pineapples do not contain seeds.

At the beginning of ripening, the pineapple fruit is greenish in color, with time, when the pineapple ripens, its fruit becomes a beautiful yellowish-golden color, or brown color. The color changes as this plant matures. The fruits ripen quite quickly, at optimally selected temperatures, the fruit ripening period is up to 25 days.

The optimum temperature for ripening pineapple fruits is approximately 9 degrees Celsius. The flesh of this plant is white or yellowish white, it has a very pleasant taste and sweet aroma. The pineapple fruit has a sweet, sour taste.

Pineapple is very low in calories, it contains only 45 kcal per 100 grams of its substance.

If this fruit is not transported correctly, the fruits deteriorate, if the temperature is too low, then the pineapple fruits can become cold. The walls of the cells of the fetus are quickly destroyed and filled with moisture, which causes rotting of the pineapple fruit.

Also, overripe pineapple can have similar properties. It is very similar to the overheated fruit of this plant.

pineapple habitat: This fruit is grown mainly in South America, in countries such as Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and others. Pineapple grows in the tropical part of the continent.

Elements: Pineapple fruit is quite sweet and tasty. It contains a lot of sugar, about 11%. The composition of sugars in pineapple includes glucose, fructose, sucrose. Also, the pulp of the pineapple fruit contains 0.4% organic acids, mainly tartaric and citric acids. In the pulp of mature pineapples there are inclusions of nitrogen elements and other similar elements. Pineapple fruits contain a lot of potassium, pectin substances and others.

The fruits have a lot of vitamins that will be useful to people. The composition contains many vitamins, such as: vitamin A, B1, B2, C, and provitamin A.

Practical use:

This pineapple, especially useful for children and the sick, it increases hemoglobin and contains a large number of useful substances. This product is recommended for high acidity of the body.

Most often, pineapples are consumed fresh, they are served on the table as a dessert, they are very tasty and healthy. Before eating, cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple, and then cut off the peel of the fruit. To eat, cut the pineapple into circles.

Pineapple is very useful for people who decide to lose weight. Pineapple can be served for breakfast along with other fruits. Eating pineapple increases the healing rate of various wounds and wounds. Pineapple juice is very life-giving and brings a lot of vitamins to the body.

Bromelain, which is found in pineapple, has anti-inflammatory properties.

Another completely new effect of pineapple on the human body, doctors have noticed recently. Pineapple juice contains enzymes that are converted in the body into useful substances that help fight cancer cells. It turns out that some tribes that live near the Amazon have long been using pineapple to fight this disease.

Many drugs based on pineapple substances are already appearing, which are used to prevent cancer.

Pineapple is widely used in folk medicine. The peoples of South America, who grow pineapples, have especially many treatment recipes.

Pineapple fruits are used to make gruel, which helps against bedsores, skin diseases and other similar diseases of the human body.

In some Caribbean countries, people take pineapple fruit in order to increase potency and sexual desire. Pineapples are traded by many peoples, some people are engaged in the business of growing these food products.

Some countries use pineapple to feed domestic animals such as pigs and cows.

Harm of pineapple: You should eat pineapple very carefully, too much pineapple juice in the body can cause an allergic reaction. If you eat a lot of this fruit, you can get poisoned. Pineapple pulp, like the pulp of many other fruits, can accumulate nitrates and other harmful substances.

Pineapple varieties: There are many types of pineapples, the most common of them are Cayenne smooth, Red Spanish, Monte Lirio, Queen, Singaporean. All pineapples differ in color, taste, shape and size. In some pineapples, the flesh is harder, in some softer, in some the color of the pulp is yellowish, and in some it is almost white.

Ananas) - a perennial herbaceous plant, belongs to the flowering department, the monocotyledonous class, the cereal order and the bromeliad family.

The homeland of pineapple is the arid plateau regions of Brazil, and the first Europeans who tasted the exotic fruit were members of the team of Christopher Columbus, who called the pineapple the most delicious on earth.

Is pineapple a berry or a fruit?

Many people ask the question, is pineapple a berry or a fruit? Or maybe it's a vegetable? In fact, pineapple is a grass (herbaceous plant), and scientists apply the names "tropical fruit" or "fruit" to it.

Pineapple - description, photo, structure

Pineapple is a rather thorny plant with exceptionally juicy and sweet-spicy fruits. Plant height varies from 60 to 100 cm. Pineapple leaves are of a succulent type and are able to accumulate moisture in their tissues, like cacti. The length of individual leaves is 30-100 cm (in some species it can reach more than 2 meters). Numerous leaves are collected in a wide rosette, and in their axils there are many adventitious roots that absorb accumulated moisture. Pineapple leaves contain a large amount of fibers that give the leaves strength and elasticity.

The root system of the plant develops rather poorly. Basically, the roots of pineapple are buried in the soil by no more than 25-30 centimeters, and at the same time they cover a very small amount of soil.

At the growth point of a fully formed rosette, a long (up to 60 cm) flower shoot is formed. Pineapple flowers are bisexual, fused and located at the top of the flower shoot, they sit very often, forming a spiral. The flowers bloom in succession, about 10 flowers a day. The flowering period lasts about 3 weeks, after which a mini-fruit develops from each flower. The mini-fruits fused together are a whole pineapple fruit. When flowers are pollinated (for example, by hummingbirds), seeds are formed in them, but the presence of seeds in seedlings reduces their edible qualities. Therefore, in the industrial cultivation of pineapples, people try to avoid pollination.

Ready-to-eat pineapple fruit is very similar to a large golden brown cone. Inside the seed fruit there is a rather rigid axis, on the sides of which there are fruits, surprisingly juicy and tender, ending in the remains of keratinized flowers and covering leaves.

The average weight of a pineapple is about 2 kg, and its top is decorated with a crown (panicle of short leaves), which appears as the inner axis of the fruit grows.

Most pineapples grown in culture do not have seeds, and reproduction occurs with the help of tuft shoots that are easily detached and rooted. True, when crossed with some other varieties, the seeds still develop, and they can also be used to propagate the plant.

After the first pineapple fruit ripens, the plant produces side shoots that are used for vegetative propagation. Usually, the lateral processes are removed, after which the pineapple blooms and bears fruit a second time. After harvesting the second crop, the plant is uprooted, and a new one is planted in its place.

In the ripe pulp of pineapple, you can see small white blotches - ovules.

Also, the seed of pineapple is completely permeated with many conductive bundles - the main elements of the plant's conductive system.

Photo taken from the site: www.researchgate.net

An unripe pineapple has a rather pungent, lip-burning taste and is a powerful laxative.

Ripe pineapple has excellent taste and bright rich aroma. The pulp of a ripe fruit has a yellowish or white color.

Where do pineapples grow?

Pineapple is native to the Mato Grosso plateau between Brazil and Paraguay. It was from here, from South America, that the spread of this plant to other countries began several centuries ago. Today, pineapple is cultivated in the tropical and subtropical zones of both hemispheres. Various varieties of pineapples are grown in Thailand and the Philippines, China and the USA, Brazil, India and Vietnam, Hawaii and Cuba, Mexico, Taiwan, the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, Zaire and the Azores.

How do pineapples grow?

A pineapple plantation looks like an ordinary field with low bushes, but if you look closely and notice a fruit, fragrant and tasty pineapple on each plant, the picture becomes much more interesting and unusual. Many people think that pineapples grow on palm trees, but this is absolutely not true: everyone's favorite sweet fruit with a slightly tart taste grows just a few tens of centimeters from the ground. On plantations, pineapples are planted in two rows at a distance of one and a half to two meters between each plant. Agricultural technology is quite painstaking and labor-intensive: pineapples are weeded from weeds, soil is mulched, mechanized irrigation is carried out in case of severe drought, plants are treated from pests, and fertilizers are applied. Such scrupulous care of pineapples allows you to harvest up to 3 crops per year from one plantation.

The perennial plant pineapple spends the first months of its growth on the formation of a powerful leaf rosette. Only after 11-18 months (depending on the species) is the pineapple ready to bloom. It takes from three months to six months to form and ripen on the inflorescence of the fruit - this factor also depends on the species and variety.

The ripened fruit is cut off, after which the pineapple continues to grow only due to lateral shoots, since it loses the main growth point.

Types of pineapples, names and photos

Currently, the genus of pineapples includes 6 species (according to information from theplantlist.org website dated October 23, 2016):

• Ananas ananassoides, or Ananas nanus
• Ananas bracteatus - bract pineapple
• Ananas comosus - real pineapple (large-tufted, crested)
• Ananas lucidus - shiny pineapple
• Ananas parguazensis - Pargvazensky pineapple
• Ananas sagenaria

The following is a description of the types of pineapples:

a wild species of pineapple that grows in the forests and savannahs of Venezuela, Brazil and Paraguay. A feature of the species is the almost complete absence of a stem, leaves up to 2.4 meters long and reddish inflorescences. The total height of the plant is between 90 and 100 cm. The fruits of this type of pineapple can be elongated or spherical in shape, and the sweet pulp contains small brown seeds.

• Pineapple bracts ( Ananas bracteatus)

a very beautiful type of pineapple with long (up to 1 meter), bright green, curved leaves, on the surface of which there are white and yellow stripes. In the sun, the leaves fade and take on pink and reddish hues. The tricolor variety of this pineapple, Ananas bracteatus tricolor, is used as a popular houseplant that can produce quite edible fruit. This type of pineapple grows in Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina.

• Pineapple large-tufted, he is crested pineapple or real pineapple(Ananas comosus)

a valuable fruit plant cultivated in a number of states with a tropical climate. The height of a perennial plant with numerous gray-green leaves is 1-1.5 m and above. About 30 or more leaves appear on one plant. The length of the leaves of this pineapple reaches from 30 cm to 100 cm. The flowers are bisexual, the length of the flower is 8 cm, the width is 4 cm. They are arranged in a spiral in spike-shaped inflorescences. Usually, about 200 flowers appear on one plant, which, when combined, produce pineapple seedlings. The color of the flowers can be different: the color range varies from lilac and purple to pink and red. After the flowering of pineapple, a yellow seed is formed, on top of which there is a sultan - a rosette of narrow, long and jagged leaves along the edge. Seed fruit matures in 4.5-5 months. As a wild culture, it is found in Brazil and Paraguay, where it grows on forest edges and open places.

The Hawaiian Islands (30%) hold the lead in growing pineapples, Thailand, the Philippines, Brazil and Costa Rica are a little behind. The coarse leaves of Taiwanese and Philippine pineapples are suitable for the production of spinning fiber. The mass of pineapples, depending on the variety, ranges from 1.5 to 5 kg. One kilogram of juicy pulp contains about 86% water, 15 mg of sucrose, 0.7 mg of citric acid and up to 50 mg of vitamin C (about 120 mg in leaves).

• Ananas lucidus )

a plant with bright, decorative, almost non-thorny leaves, up to 1 m long and 3.5 cm wide. The color of the leaves contains orange-red, brown and green shades, effectively contrasting with each other. Purple inflorescence petals. Pineapple sizes reach 12 cm in length and 5 cm in width. Small fruits contain tasteless highly fibrous pulp. This type of pineapple is common in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, Guyana, northern Brazil and Venezuela.

• Pineapple pargvazensky ( Ananas parguazensis)

a rare variety of pineapple, grows in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana and northern Brazil. The plant is distinguished by miniature seedlings, which are not of commercial interest, and relatively soft leaves that form luxurious sultans.

• Ananas sagenaria

beautiful plant, used mostly as an ornamental. The inflorescences of this plant and crested pineapple are very similar, but the length of the leaves of this species reaches more than 2 meters in length. The fruits are edible, very beautiful, red in color, and due to the low sugar content, sour in taste. At home, the fruits are used to make wine, and fiber is extracted from long leaves and rugs, hammocks and even clothes are made. This type of pineapple grows in countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and Paraguay.

Pineapple varieties

Almost all successfully cultivated pineapple varieties are the result of hybridization and breeding work. Varieties are usually divided into three groups depending on the characteristics of growth and biological characteristics:

Spanish group

The bred varieties (mainly table varieties) are distinguished by the complete absence of thorns on the leaves (or there are very few thorns). Plants are resistant to diseases, ripened fruits have a mass of 1.5 kg (for Spanish red pineapple) to 10 kg (for Cabezon pineapple), they tolerate transportation well, but are significantly inferior in taste to dessert varieties. Among the varieties of this group are the following:

• Piña blanca;
• Singapore;
• Canning;
• Cabezon;
• Spanish red.

Queen (queen)

The leaves of these varieties of pineapples are painted in a pale green color, the leaf plates are short, dotted with tenacious spines. The mass of fruits is on average 1.3-1.5 kg. Popular varieties are:

• McGregor;
• Z-Queen;
• Quinn.

cayenne

The varietal group includes plants with excellent taste and high yield. The rosette leaves are practically without thorns, the fruits have a mass of 1.5 to 3.5 kg, they perfectly tolerate transportation. Especially popular varieties of pineapples:

• Fassaro (Selektsionny-25);
• Baron Rothschild;
• Santo Domingo;
• Foulaya (Selektsionny-32-33).

Chemical composition of pineapple, vitamins and minerals

In addition to the high content of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), pineapples contain vitamins B, PP and provitamin A. The pulp of ripe fruits also contains potassium, iron, zinc, copper, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese and iodine.

Pineapple pulp is rich in bromelain - a complex of enzymes that break down proteins, so they are better absorbed. Bromelain also has anti-inflammatory and immunocorrective properties. The highest concentration of bromelain is found in the hard core of pineapple.

The calorie content of pineapple is very low: only 52 kcal per 100 g of mature pulp, so it is often included in weight loss diets.

Pineapple - useful properties

Pineapple is useful for both women and men: it helps to thin the blood and cleanse the blood vessels of cholesterol, relieves swelling, dulls the feeling of hunger, increases the content of serotonin in the blood and removes excess fluid from the body.

• thrombophlebitis and thrombosis;
• hypertension;
• atherosclerosis;
• arthritis;
• phlebeurysm;
• bronchitis;
• pneumonia;
• diseases of the central nervous system;
• infectious diseases.

A glass of freshly squeezed pineapple juice with meals improves digestion, especially when eating heavy meals - fiber and meat.

Pineapple promotes weight loss: pineapple dessert stimulates metabolic processes in the body, and also quickly saturates due to its high fiber content.

Pineapple juice can help you cope with seasickness and overcome nausea during air travel.

Useful properties of pineapple can be used for external use:

• Pineapple face masks cope with the first signs of skin aging, and a whole slice can eliminate oily sheen.
• Horny calluses are easily removed after a compress from the pulp of pineapple.

Pineapple oil - properties

Pineapple oil is widely used in medicine and cosmetology due to the unique combination of vitamins and a complex of microelements. Pineapple oil has a number of useful properties:

• antiseptic;
• anti-inflammatory;
• antibacterial and antimicrobial;
• stimulating immunity and circulatory processes;
• antidepressant;
• cleansing;
• warming;
• antifungal.

Pineapple oil is an excellent tool in the fight against infectious diseases, its use normalizes the level of sugar contained in the blood, the oil successfully fights the herpes virus and helps to solve digestive problems. Pineapple oil perfectly whitens the skin, moisturizes, relieves irritation and improves tone.

Contraindications and harm of pineapple

You should refrain from eating pineapple if:

• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, ulcers, increased acidity of the stomach);
• reduced blood clotting;
• people with hypersensitivity of tooth enamel;
• people with allergies;
• pregnancy (unripe fruits can cause uterine contractions);
• nursing mothers;
• in childhood (up to 3 years);
• overweight people should not abuse dried pineapple, as it contains a large amount of sugar.

How to store pineapple at home?

If you need to store pineapple for 8-12 days, you can do it as follows:

• place the fruit in a paper bag, making a few holes in it for ventilation, or wrap the pineapple with thick paper - this will protect it from wilting and allow the aroma to be preserved. You should not store pineapple in a plastic bag;
• pineapple packed in this way should be put in the refrigerator, choosing a compartment for storing fruit;
• a couple of times a day, the package must be turned over, thereby providing optimal air access to the pineapple.
• longer storage is possible only with canning or freezing of aromatic pulp.

Like most members of the bromeliad family, pineapple is a fairly popular plant that can be successfully grown at home on a windowsill. To do this, you can buy a ready-made plant, but it is much more interesting to grow a pineapple at home from the top, choosing a healthy mature fruit in the store as planting material.

When buying, it is important to pay attention that the leaves of the tuft (tops) are clean, without gray spots at the base. The tuft is wrapped around the hand and slightly scrolled around the axis, it should separate with a small piece of the stem. If not, the top of the pineapple is carefully cut out with a sharp knife, and then cleaned of pulp and lower leaves.

The conditions for growing pineapple are very simple. Sultan (pineapple crest) is left for several days in the air to dry out. Make sure it doesn't rot. Then the dried top of the pineapple is placed in a container with clean water, which is changed daily until the roots appear.

Usually, in 3 weeks, the sultan gives a lot of roots, and when their length reaches 2 cm, the pineapple can be planted in the ground.

Pineapples have a superficial root system, so for planting you will need a low and wide container, at the bottom of which drainage must be laid, which contributes to maximum soil aeration.

As a soil for pineapple, a flower mixture for orchids or fertile soil, humus (peat) and sand, taken in a ratio of 3: 1: 1, is suitable.

Light

Caring for a pineapple in a pot is also quite simple. Pineapple is a very photophilous plant that requires maximum sunlight and heat. In summer, he feels great on a lighted windowsill, in winter he will need additional lighting for 8-10 hours using a fluorescent lamp. It is not necessary to rotate the plant: pineapples grow faster and develop better with one-sided lighting.

Watering

In summer, the rosette of leaves should always have water. For watering the soil, boiled or settled water, heated to 35 degrees, is used. It is important to ensure that the earth ball dries sufficiently between waterings. If the air in the apartment is too dry and hot, the leaves of the plant are sprayed once a week, in summer - 2 times a week.

Temperature

The optimum air temperature for normal growth and development of pineapple is +25 degrees. If it is possible to provide the plant with such a temperature regime all year round, the pineapple will continue to grow in winter, and juicy standing leaves and pink coloring of the tips of young shoots will be indicators of normal development.

fertilizers

Like any herbaceous plant, pineapple needs nitrogen, as well as organic fertilizers. Pineapple is fed once every 2 weeks, ready-made Azalea fertilizer can be used, and alkaline fertilizers should be avoided.

pruning

As the plant grows, older leaves will dry out and should be carefully cut off. After a year, the pineapple forms a powerful root system, and it will need to be transplanted into a larger container.

Bloom

The first flowering of pineapple occurs after 2.5-3 years, an aqueous solution is used to stimulate it (1 tsp of carbide per 0.5 l of water). About 50 g is poured into the outlet daily. Another way to stimulate flowering: a pot of pineapple is placed for a while in a plastic bag with ripe apples or tomatoes.

Pineapple flowering is usually accompanied by the formation of basal buds, which are carefully separated from the mother plant and planted in separate pots. A well-grown, healthy tuft should give a fairly large seed.

• An interesting moment in the history of the plant is the fact that, since the 18th century, these exotic fruits have been successfully grown in greenhouses, including near St. Petersburg. But in the 19th century, pineapples began to be transported on steamboats directly from Brazilian plantations, and the idea of ​​​​breeding them in greenhouses was abandoned.
• Of particular interest is the original technique of agricultural technology: to stimulate flowering and fruit growth, a small amount of acetylene is added to the axils of the upper leaves, which makes it possible to grow pineapples loved by everyone all year round.
• Pineapple is an essential attribute of the New Year's table in China. The locals have a belief: if a festive feast is decorated with a ripe pineapple, the year will definitely be successful.
• In Germany, a glass of champagne with a slice of pineapple is traditionally offered to newlyweds as a sign of happiness and prosperity in the family.

Pineapple is a genus of perennial herbaceous plants in the bromeliad family. Homeland - Central Brazil. Plants 40 - 120 cm high. The leaves are leathery, long (50-70 cm), fleshy, dark green above, silvery below, collected in a rosette. Inflorescence - an ear, consists of 150-200 small inconspicuous flowers arranged in a spiral. The fruit is called a seed resembling a cone from fused ovaries weighing 0.9–10 kg. The skin of the fruit is hard; the pulp is juicy, yellowish-white, with a specific aroma, rich in vitamin B and carotene. The fruits are eaten fresh and canned; make jams and make sweets. Valuable spinning fiber is obtained from the leaves. Propagated by shoots from axillary buds. Grown in tropical countries on drained slightly acidic soils. In Russia, it is used as an indoor and greenhouse plant. Main varieties: Cayenne, Queen, Spanish red (table), Santo Domingo (can).

The genus pineapple is close to bromeliad, containing 8–9 species distributed in South America south to Argentina and Paraguay. They are ground grasses with a short stem, a rosette of basal succulent and spiny-toothed leaves along the edges. After fertilization, the pineapple inflorescence turns into a compact infructescence, consisting of fused fruits, bracts and inflorescence axes. In almost all types of pineapple, with the exception of the ugly pineapple, the main axis of the seed continues to grow and forms a rosette of leaves (crown) at the top of the seed. At the base of this crown, offspring often develop to promote vegetative reproduction.

Introduction to culture. The homeland of cultivated pineapple is probably Brazil, from where, even in prehistoric times, its cultivation spread both south and north to Central America and the West Indies. Immediately after the discovery of America, the culture of pineapple penetrated many countries of the world, initially mainly thanks to the Portuguese. They introduced the pineapple to Saint Helena shortly after its discovery in 1502. Following this, the Portuguese brought the pineapple culture to various parts of Africa and to Madagascar and, around 1550, to India. Until the end of the 16th century. The pineapple culture has spread to most tropical countries, including some Pacific islands. Pineapple was brought to Europe around 1650, where it has been grown in greenhouses ever since. In 1769 Captain Cook introduced the pineapple to the island of Tahiti.

Cultivated pineapple belongs to the large-tufted pineapple species that grows wild in Central Brazil. Juicy and fragrant golden-yellow seedlings of cultivated varieties of pineapple are distinguished by high taste qualities. Most cultivars are self-incompatible and usually do not produce seeds, but when crossed with some other cultivars, seeds develop normally.

Growing pineapple. The relatively rapid spread of the pineapple culture is explained not only by the exceptionally high taste qualities of its inflorescences, but also by the ease of its reproduction through quickly rooted crowns on the tops of the inflorescences. Currently, pineapple is widely cultivated in many tropical and subtropical countries in both hemispheres. Pineapple plantations are especially large in the Hawaiian Islands, supplying about 30% of all world production. Pineapple also occupies large areas in Brazil, Mexico, the Philippines, Cuba and the island of Taiwan. Pineapple plantations are also quite significant in the Azores.

Meaning. Pineapple is eaten both raw and canned (in its own juice). A very pleasant and fragrant juice is obtained from it, and jam is also prepared. Pineapple is a good source of vitamins A and B. It is also cultivated for spinning fiber from the leaves, mainly in the Philippines and Taiwan. In the inflorescences of a similar species of pineapple bracts, the fruits of pineapple bracts, although with seeds, are edible.

Features of growing pineapple as an ornamental plant.

When watering, it is necessary that water enters the rosette of leaves. At first, a newly planted plant is watered frequently, using a small amount of water that does not contain lime.

Peculiarities.

At home, fruits are rarely tied.

Top dressing.

Top dressing is carried out with complex mineral fertilizers or mullein infusion, applying them 1 time in 10 days. The concentration of fertilizers should be 2 times less than indicated on the package.

Transfer.

Plants are transplanted in the summer 1 time in 2 years.

Reproduction.

Pineapple is most often propagated by apical or basal rosettes, which take root quite easily in a special solution.

Growing difficulties.

Pineapple needs bright sunlight, but direct rays are detrimental to plants.

Pests.

Excess moisture leads to the appearance of spotting. Of the pests, the spider mites and scale insects are the most dangerous.

My tropical pets

Once in the newspaper "6 sotok" my parents saw an article about growing pineapple at home, and decided to try to grow their own pineapple. In the spring, having bought this exotic fruit in the store, we ate it, and planted the socket in a pot of earth. At first there were no results and we thought that he would not grow up. Then in the summer, his mother took out his greenhouse, watered him, but there were no signs of growth.

In the autumn, when the greenhouse was dismantled, they found that the pineapple had begun to grow. We transplanted this tropical fruit into another pot and brought it into the house and placed it on the windowsill on the sunny side.

So for three years it grew on our windowsill and turned into a strong plant.

In the third year, we poured a solution of calcium carbide into the outlet (10-15 grams of calcium carbide per liter of water) 20-30 ml of an aqueous solution of acetylene. After 10 days, we repeated the procedure. About two months later, a reddish inflorescence began to appear from the center of the outlet. A week later, the inflorescence rose, and we saw the fruit. All this time, the whole family carefully looked after the plant. For 2-3 weeks, purple flowers appear on the cone of the fruit, similar to lungwort flowers. After six to seven months, the fruit acquires an amber-yellow color and the room where it grows is filled with the aroma of ripe pineapple.

After the fruit has been cut off, the foliage falls down and a new process appears on the lateral trunk. And now you can start all over again.

Pineapple grows well on the windowsills of the southern or southeastern windows. And the scorching rays of the sun will not harm him. On hot days, we moisten the plant abundantly, but let the soil dry out between waterings. Even in the warm season, a shower is useful for pineapple: it will wash off the dust from the leaves, and the plant will bear fruit better.

Pineapple constantly needs enhanced nutrition. While the green mass is growing, nitrogen is mainly required. Twice a month we feed the plant with mullein infusion 1:8. And at least once a year we transplant into fertile soil. Large beautiful plants sometimes do not bear fruit. Even at home in America, plantings are sprayed several times with naphthylacetic acid. Especially at home, pineapple flowering needs to be stimulated. In the "home tropics" stimulation will benefit if the plant is fully formed (leaf length is at least 60-70 cm, trunk thickness at the base is 6-10 cm), not earlier than 3 months after the last nitrogen fertilization.

For 10 years we have already grown 8 plants, one of which went to the city of Tomsk.