pineapple

Fruit of the Ananas comosus, a prickly plant that flourishes well in dry ground and is mainly cultivated in the provinces of Chonburi, Rayong, Chiang Rai, Prachuap Khirikhan, and Phuket. It takes about 2 years to grow a plant that yields and fruits take between 6 to 9 months to mature. There are usually only two or three fruits on each plant and grow from the middle of the plant, with each producing fruit up to three times in their lifespan, which lasts about 4 years. Afterwards the plants needs to be replaced by new shoots, which in fact consist of the leaves on top of the fruits. Pineapples are picked by hand to allow the farmer to check the quality of each crop individually, before harvesting it. Depending on the species, the leaves of both the plant and those on top of the fruit may either have smooth edges or may have spikes on them. Pineapples or representations of them are also often offered in temples and shrines, especially in Chinese Mahayana temples (fig.), because the pattern of their skin is similar to that of a dragon, snake or naga, sacred animals in Buddhism. On markets they are typically pealed in a spiral manner in order to cut away all the thorny spikes swiftly (fig.). In Thai called sapparot. One species of pineapple has a reddish colour (fig.) and is hence known as red pineapple. It is used as an ornamental plant and has the botanical name Ananas bracteatus. See also POSTAGE STAMP. 回