Pineapple, Pineapple

Oxford English Dictionary entries for pineapple and pine cones , 1971.

The pineapple is an example of a multiple fruit: multiple, helically-arranged flowers along the axis each produce a fleshy fruit that becomes pressed against the fruits of adjacent flowers, forming what appears to be a single fleshy fruit.

Del Monte took 73-114, which it dubbed MD-2, to its plantations in Costa Rica, found it to be well-suited to growing there, and launched it publicly in 1996. (Del Monte also began marketing 73-50, dubbed CO-2, as Del Monte Gold). In 1997, Del Monte began marketing its Gold Extra Sweet pineapple, known internally as MD-2. MD-2 is a hybrid that originated in the breeding program of the now-defunct Pineapple Research Institute in Hawaii, which conducted research on behalf of Del Monte, Maui Land & Pineapple Company, and Dole.

Jahn, et al. , 2003 The mealybugs are generally found on the surface of pineapples, but can also be found inside the closed blossom cups. Jahn, 1995 Other diseases include pink disease, APSnet Feature - Pink Disease of Pineapple bacterial heart rot, and anthracnose.

Pineapples can ripen after harvest, but require certain temperatures for this process to occur. Like bananas, they are chill-sensitive and should not be stored in the refrigerator. They will, however, ripen if left outside of a refrigerator.

Source: Wikipedia > Pineapple