Plant Name

Scientific Name: Ananas bracteatus

Common Names: Red Pineapple, Wild Pineapple

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial

Growth Habit: Herb/Forb

Hawaii Native Status: Cultivated. This ornamental garden plant is native to Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

Flower Color: Violet. The more conspicuous inflorescences are red or reddish pink.

Height: Up to 4 feet (1.2 m) tall

Description: The small, violet-purple flowers emerge from between spiny, red or pink bracts on egg-shaped inflorescences. The inflorescences are followed by brownish pink to scarlet, leafy-topped, compound pineapple fruits. The leaves are long, linear, arching, solid dark green or variegated with white, pink, red, or yellow, and edged with sharp spines that curve up toward the leaf tips.

Here in Hawaii, Red Pineapple is grown in tropical gardens and is used as a security hedge because of its spiny leaves.

The similar False Pineapple (Pseudananas sagenarius) has spines at the base of the leaves that curve downward toward the base of the plant. Pineapple (Ananas comosus) has much less colorful inflorescences and larger fruit.

Special Characteristics

Edible – The ripe fruit is edible, but it is smaller and less fleshy than commercial pineapples.

Classification

Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Liliopsida – Monocotyledons
Subclass: Zingiberidae
Order: Bromeliales
Family: Bromeliaceae – Bromeliad family
Genus: Ananas Mill. – pineapple
Species: Ananas bracteatus (Lindl.) Schult. & Schult. f.