Pineapple comosus var. bracteatus, a red pineapple
Ananas comosus var. bracteatus
- Exposures
- Sun, Half-shade
- Hardiness (USDA)
- 11a (4.4°C ≤ T° < 7.2°C)
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Family
- Bromeliads Bromeliaceae
- Genus
- Pineapple Ananas
- Species
- Pineapple comosus Ananas comosus
Other names:Ananas comosus var. bracteatus, Ananas bracteatus var. striatus, Ananas bracteatus, Ananas sativus var. bracteatus, Ananassa bracteata, Ananas bracteatus var. striatus, Ananas bracteatus var. macrodontes, Ananas bracteatus var. rudis
With its red fruit and pink variegated leaves, Ananas comosus var. Bracteatus could pass for a cultivar. But think again! This plant of the Bromeliaceae family was not created by a color-loving scientist. It grows wild in Bolivia, Brazil and Argentina.
How to recognize Pineapple comosus var. Bracteatus?
Ananas comosus bracteatus is an upright herbaceous plant. It reaches a meter in height.
The short stem is hidden by a rosette of leaves. It supports the inflorescence.
The leaves are up to 1.5 meters long. Coriaceous and rigid, their margins are hemmed with spines. Blades are usually green. But some Ananas comosus bracteatus have yellow or red-edged foliage.
Ananas comosus var. Bracteatus is a monocarpic plant. It flowers only once in its life. Its swan song takes the form of an inflorescence with pink or red bracts and blue flowers.
The plant then gives birth to a small, bright-red pineapple crowned with plain green or variegated yellow and pink leaves. The fruit is edible, but its seed-filled flesh is less juicy than that of pineapple comosus.
Pineapple comosus var. Bracteatus is non-toxic. You can grow it without risk, even if you live with young children or pets.
Our care tips
Ananas comosus bracteatus the plants sold in garden centers, with their fruit, are already mature. So you won't need to repot your plant. However, place the pot on a dish filled with moist clay balls to increase humidity.
Watering
Water when the soil is dry, for about three centimeters. Use room-temperature, non-calcareous water, preferably rainwater. When watering, avoid wetting the leaves.
Thirty minutes after watering, drain off any stagnant water in the saucer. It may rot the roots.
To improve humidity, place your Ananas comosus var. Bracteatus with your other plants or place its pot on a dish of moist clay balls.
Misting
Spray foliage with non-calcareous water at room temperature. In addition to increasing humidity, misting prevents the appearance of undesirable insects.
Repotting
Every year in the spring, repot your Ananas comosus var. Bracteatus to give it more space.
Your Pineapple comosus bracteatus likes to be cramped. Repot it in a pierced pot barely larger than the root ball.
Line the bottom of the pot with a well-drained substrate. You can use potting soil for Bromeliads or for cacti and succulents. You can also make your own growing medium by mixing equal parts :
- potting soil for green plants ;
- bark ;
- coconut fiber ;
- perlite ;
- sphagnum moss.
Plant your Pineapple comosus bracteatus in the center and add substrate. Tamp and water to encourage rooting.
Place your pot on a dish of moist clay balls to improve humidity.
Fertilization
To promote the growth of your Ananas comosus var. Bracteatus, apply fertilizer in spring and summer.
Dilute green plant fertilizer with water.
Cleaning
Clean the leaves with a clean wet sponge. This removes dust and improves photosynthesis. It's also a way of preventing mite infestations.
Prune
To encourage the growth of your Pineapple comosus bracteatus, prune regularly.
Remove yellowed leaves. They will not regain their color and are no longer useful to the plant. You can remove them by hand or with clean pruning shears.
Taking cuttings
The best time to take cuttings is after your Ananas comosus var. Bracteatus has bloomed.
Wait until the shoots are at least a third of the size of the main plant before removing them. Separate them with your hands or a clean, sharp instrument (pruning shears or scissors). Be sure to keep some roots for each cutting.
Prepare a pierced pot adapted to the size of your cutting.
Pour a layer of potting soil for cacti and succulents or for bromeliads into the bottom. You can also make your own growing medium by mixing equal parts of potting soil for green plants, bark, sphagnum moss, perlite and coconut fibre.
Plant your Pineapple comosus bracteatus and add substrate. Tamp to remove air bubbles and water to encourage rooting.
Your plant appreciates humidity. Place the pot on a saucer filled with moist clay balls to increase humidity.
Diseases / Threats
Information
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Exposures
- SunHalf-shade
- Substrates
- Humus soilSandy soil
- Planting method
- In pots
- Categories
- Fruit treeIndoorHerbaceous
- Tag
- Edible fruit
- Origin
- South America
- Hardiness (USDA)
- 11a (4.4°C ≤ T° < 7.2°C)
- Leaf colors
- Light greenRedYellow
- Flower color
- Blue
- Fruit color
- Red
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Ananas comosus
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