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Ananas

Ananas comosus, Bromeliaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called pina and Pineapple.

Ananas (Ananas comosus), the whole plant.
Keyz abdulsalaam, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Light
Full sun
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Well-drained
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H1A — warmer than 15°C 15 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam; pH Acid
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
Let the soil dry out before watering again.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
During growth and flowering water generously; once fruiting, water a little less and add a weekly balanced liquid feed; at all other times keep barely moist.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
During growth and flowering water generously; once fruiting, water a little less and give a balanced liquid feed each week; at other times keep barely moist.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Pineapple is propagated vegetatively from the crown of the fruit, from suckers at the plant's base, or from plantlets formed on the inflorescence beneath the flowers. These pups serve as the means of propagation.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
In early summer, root offsets from the base. Alternatively, cut off the leafy rosette crowning the fruit, leave it to callus for a day or two, then root it at 21°C in indirect light in a sand and peat-substitute mix kept barely moist.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Pruning is not needed.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Scale insects can attack it. Disease is uncommon.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

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About the plant

The pineapple is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
Costa Rica to S. Trop. America
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Costa Rica to South Tropical America
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
C & S America
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
seasonally dry tropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
perennial
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Herbaceous Perennial; habit dense, erect, rounded
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Bushy (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 36–48 in; width 36–48 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Height 0.5-1 metres; spread 0.5-1 metres after 2–5 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers purple/lavender, red/burgundy; blooms in summer
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowers purple in summer; yellow in summer
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Uses

What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.

Pineapple bran and other processing by-products have gone into livestock feed. Bromelain from pineapple can tenderize meat. Stems and leaves provide fiber that can be made into paper or 'pina cloth'. The ripe fruit is sweet, juicy and fragrant and can be eaten raw, cooked or preserved.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

More of the Bromeliaceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.