The pineapple is a multiple fruit composed of a large number of fruitlets growing from a central stem called the core. Each fruitlet is a portion of a small flower that forms off the stem before the fruit matures. All pineapple cultivars examined produced functional pollen and egg cells, but all are self-incompatible; therefore, they cannot set seed from self-pollination.
Pineapple is found in South America, Thailand, and Hawaii.
Pineapple is used therapeutically to treat obesity and constipation. Topically, pineapple may be used to treat wounds and inflammation.
The pineapple, Ananas comosus (L.) Merrill is a native of tropical America and appears to have originated in Brazil and/or Paraguay. Ananas is derived from the name used by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay. Columbus found it cultivated in the West Indies in 1493, and by 1600, Portuguese sailors had carried it to Java, Malaysia, and India.
