Popular fruit from a versatile plant
Ananas comosus
Family: Bromeliaceae
Conservation status: Widespread in cultivation
Pineapple is the most economically significant member of the Bromeliaceae family – the same family as the Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) hanging from the benches near the entrance. Classified as a multiple fruit, it is composed of many unpollinated berries fused together.
In addition to being a tasty treat, pineapples have other uses. Bromelain – an enzyme that breaks down proteins – is extracted from pineapples for use as a meat tenderizer. The soft but strong leaf fibers are readily dyeable and can be used to make fishing nets and lines, hammocks, embroidery, and thin, pliable paper. Many historians attribute the “pine” in “pineapple” to early European descriptions of the fruit, which compared the appearance to that of a pinecone.