Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Bromeliaceae
Genus: Ananas
Species: A. bracteatus
Binomial name: Ananas bracteatus
Synonyms: Ananassa bracteata, Bromelia silvestris, Ananas sagenaria, Ananassa sagenaria, Ananas silvestris, Pseudananas sagenarius, Ananas fritzmuelleri Camargo
Common name: Red pineapple, Red ananas, Mountain pineapple. Wild pineapple
Ananas bracteatus is a large, short-lived, perennial, terrestrial species of bromeliad native to South America (Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador). This species is considered more of an ornamental plant with its decorative red fruit and pretty flower, the fruit is in fact deliciously edible once fully ripe. It is also grown as a security hedge because of its spiny leaves.
Ananas bracteatus grows up to about 90 cm tall (up to 1.2 m when flowering) and 90-120 cm wide.
The plant has many evergreen, arching leaves that are up to 1.5 cm long. They are arranged in a spiral in a spreading rosette. They have subdensely serrate margins with sharp spines that curve up toward the leaf tips. The leaves can fade red to pink when exposed to strong sunlight.
Ananas bracteatus is monocarpic (it bears flowers only one time in its life). Usually, the plant will bear one flower stalk at a time though there may be 2 or 3 heads. The small, violet-purple flowers emerge from between spiny, red or pink bracts on the egg-shaped inflorescence. The inflorescences are followed by brownish pink to scarlet, leafy-topped, compound pineapple fruits. A ripe fruit weighs usually less than one kilo. The ripe fruit is edible with flesh that is sweet and juicy and is pink-yellow in colour.
It takes about 18 to 24 months from planting to a fruit being produced and It takes about six months for the flower to develop into a ripe fruit. The plant can fruit all year long.
The fruit of Ananas bracteatus.[1]
Ananas bracteatus inflorescence[http://ketenewplymouth.peoplesnetworknz.info/image_files/0000/0013/1948/1-Ananas_bracteatus___2_-001.JPG
][3]
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information:https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
