Richard

What names and/or cultural information can you add to this list? With enough info, maybe someone can write a Pineapple Wiki!



Edible Pineapple Varieties

Compilation of data from:
Cornucopia II, S. Faccoila;
UF IFAS, Pineapple Growing in the Florida Home Landscape ;
Bananas.org; various forum postings.

Abacaxi: Tall, pyramidal fruits; weight 4 to 5 lbs.; fragrant; white or very pale yellow flesh, juicy, sweet, rich, nearly coreless. One of the most delicious pineapples. Erect, spiny plant; disease resistant, low yielding.

Eleuthera – see Pernambuco.

Hawaiian King: A lush deep-green, smooth leaved cultivar grown commercially in Hawaii. Plants grow 2-3 feet tall at maturity and are covered with large violet blooms on dense spiked heads from January to March.

Hilo: A compact 1–1.5 kg (2-3 lb) Hawaiian variant of Smooth Cayenne. The fruit is more cylindrical and produces many suckers but no slips.

Honey Gold: One of the largest pineapples, often reaching 15 pounds in weight. Has large base and narrow crown. Flesh yellow, juicy, moderately acidic, very aromatic, rich in flavor. Plant grows 3 feet tall and wide.

Kona Sugarloaf – see Sugarloaf.

Mongo: broader leafs, with green and red hues.

Natal Queen: 1–1.5 kg (2-3 lb), golden yellow flesh, crisp texture and delicate mild flavor. Well adapted to fresh consumption. Keeps well after ripening. Leaves spiny.

Pernambuco : 1–2 kg (2-4 lb) with pale yellow to white flesh. Sweet, melting and excellent for eating fresh. Poorly adapted for shipping. Leaves spiny.

Queen – see Natal Queen.

Red Spanish: 1–2 kg (2-4 lb), pale yellow flesh with pleasant aroma; squarish in shape. Well adapted for shipping as fresh fruit to distant markets. Leaves spiny.

Singapore Spanish: Leaves are about 3 ft long with some spines near the tip. Fruit weigh 3 1/2 to 5 lbs 1.6-2.3 kg) and have a golden yellow flesh.

Smooth Cayenne: 2.5–3 kg (5-6 lb), pale yellow to yellow flesh. One of the most widely grown varieties in the world. Cylindrical in shape and with high sugar and acid content. Well adapted to canning and processing. Leaves are about 3 ft long (0.9 m) with some spines at the base and top. This variety is from Hawaii, and the most easily obtainable in U.S. grocery stores.

Sugarloaf: 2.5–3 kg (5-6 lb), white flesh with an edible core. Cylindrical in shape, it has a high sugar content but no acid. An unusually sweet fruit.

Variegated Smooth Cayenne: a yellow-striped leaf version of Smooth Cayenne.

White Sugarloaf – see Sugarloaf.

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Richard

Today I bought a pineapple at the grocery store. The label says "Chiquita Gold Pineapple, product of Mexico". The fruit matches this description from U Florida extension:

Hilo: A compact 1–1.5 kg (2-3 lb) Hawaiian variant of Smooth Cayenne. The fruit is more cylindrical and produces many suckers but no slips.

Anyone else know better?
Thanks!

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lorax

I'm not sure about your pineapple, but we down here in Ecuador still have some of the original varities (think the native stock from which all pineapples come) and thus grow both white and yellow-fleshed fruits, and on occasion I run across a white fruit with a blush of pink in it near the core; these are smaler, and I consider them to be among the best pineapples I've ever tasted.

This said, unless it's for a big plantation, we just refer to domestic pineapples as "White Flesh" and "Gold Flesh" and make larger distinction between seeded and seedless fruits. What Chiquita grows down here are called Kona Gold; they're a hybrid between the Hawaiian Gold and the white Kona Sugarloaf.

The dependably seedless pineapples are all of one yellow variety (which one, I'm not certain) and are grown in specially enclosed fields to prevent the hummingbirds from getting at them. Other than that, it's hit and miss.

Kbud

I just got the same thing to grow a pineapple plant, but it says mine is grown in Costa Rica. It sounds like if I really want to know the variety, I have to talk to the company and ask them. I'll keep you guys updated.

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Kbud

Oops - old thread. Guess its a new thread now

__________________
Hi! My name is Spekter! Hopefully I can be of some help!

I grow tasty/useful tropical plants and carnivorous plants!

Check out my tasty tropical plants blog: http://spektersplants.wordpress.com