Coveted for centuries by kings for its scarcity and stately appearance, the pineapple became a symbol of wealth and a worldwide obsession at the beginning of the 16th century. In fact, a single George Washington-era pineapple could fetch as much as $8,000 in today’s dollars. Due to its association with warmth and friendliness, the pineapple soon became a symbol of hospitality in early America. A pineapple was often displayed outside the home as a greeting to visitors. Today, the pineapple remains a fitting symbol of hospitality throughout the world.
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Pineapple
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The pineapple (Ananas comosus) is a tropical plant with an edible fruit and is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuries. The introduction of the pineapple to Europe in the 17th century made it a significant cultural icon of luxury. Since the 1820s, pineapple has been commercially grown in greenhouses and many tropical plantations. Further, it is the third most important tropical fruit in world production. In the 20th century, Hawaii was a dominant producer of pineapples, especially for the US. However by 2016, Costa Rica, Brazil, and the Philippines accounted for nearly one-third of the world's production of pineapples. Pineapples grow as a small shrub; the individual flowers of the unpollinated plant fuse to form a multiple fruit. The plant is normally propagated from the offset produced at the top of the fruit,[2][6] or from a side shoot, and typically mature within a year.
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