Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Red Pineapple

An ornamental pineapple, in bloom, recently purchased from a Home Depot in California. The plant was labeled "Ananas comosus," with no variety information provided.

The plant is about ten inches tall and twelve inches wide. The leaves are completely spineless and dark red with green at the edges.

The purple blossoms are each about one-half inch long. The inflorescence (the cluster of flowers that will become the fruit) is about three-quarters of an inch in diameter and one inch tall (including the crown).

Based on the appearance of the fruit, it seems to have some similarity to Ananas comosus var. nanus, another ornamental dwarf pineapple. The nanus, however, has prominent leaf spines.