Pineapple Flower

The word for pineapple in Hawaiian is Hala kahiki or foreign fruit. It is unknown when it actually arrived in Hawaii, but many say the fruit was... more

by James Temple

Title

Pineapple Flower

Artist

James Temple

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

The word for pineapple in Hawaiian is "Hala kahiki" or foreign fruit. It is unknown when it actually arrived in Hawaii, but many say the fruit was first introduced when a Spanish ship brought it here in the 1500s.

What many people don't know is that the pineapple is a member of the bromeliad family, and is the only bromeliad that has edible fruit. When creating its fruit, it usually produces up to 200 flowers, like the baby pineapple shown here growing in my garden. Flower colors vary, depending on variety, from lavender, through light purple to red. Once it flowers, the individual fruits of the flowers join together to create what is commonly referred to as a pineapple.

The pineapple plant can easily be grown in a pot in a sunny window. Gently twist the top off of a mature pineapple, remove several of the lower leaves, exposing an inch of the stem. Allow the crown to dry 5-7 days before planting. Stick the pineapple crown into a 8 inch pot of soil and water regularly, keeping the soil moist but not wet. Pineapples are drought tolerant and don't need a lot of water. You will have to transplant your pineapple to a bigger pot because they can reach 4 feet high and 4 feet wide. In 18 months you will see a new pineapple flower, like the one shown here begin to form a pineapple.

Uploaded

February 19th, 2014