Pineapples Are Flowers
October 14th 2007 03:07
Native to the tropics and subtropics of Central and South America, it was first domesticated in the high plateaus of South America where it was used by cannibalistic tribes to sweeten the carcasses of their victims.
The familiar pineapple, Ananas Comosus, is from the family Bromeliaceae containing more than two thousand species in forty six genera.
It has long bladed leaves that act as a water catchment, funneling water to the base for storage, making it drought tolerant.
Columbus first saw pineapples on the island of Guadeloupe in Central America in 1493. They soon became a symbol of wealth and status in the courts of Europe and commercial cultivation began.
In Australia, Lutheran missionaries first grew the Rough Leafed Cayenne variety in Brisbane in the 1860’s and the Smooth Cayenne variety was first imported for commercial production in 1903.
Many species are cultivated around the world and major producers include Thailand, Philippines, China, Hawaii, Mexico and Brazil.
Pineapples are an excellent source of vitamins C, B1 and B6 as well as the trace mineral manganese.
Another emerging nutritional benefit is the enzyme bromelian, which has recently been shown to lessen inflammation. In the future this may benefit the treatment of arthritis and other inflammatory conditions
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