The pineapple(Ananas comosus) is native to southern Brazil and Paraguay where wild relatives occur. It was spread by the Indians up through South and Central America to the West Indies before Columbus arrived. Prolonged cold above freezing retards growth, delays maturity and causes the fruit to be more acid. Pineapples are drought-tolerant.
Hawaii has also been referred to as "The Pineapple State" because of the pineapple industry and its impact on the state's economy.
DOLE®was founded in Hawaii in 1851. Jim Dole came to Hawaii with an initial investment of $1,000, degrees in business and horticulture and a love of farming. With these, he began the first successful pineapple growing and canning operation, then called Hawaiian Pineapple Company. Dole developed and grew the pineapple business into Hawaii's second largest industry. In achieving his goal of making pineapple available in every grocery store in the country, James Dole made the name "Hawaiian" almost synonymous with "pineapple." Considered an exotic fruit, pineapple also became the sign of hospitality, and is often depicted on fine furniture. After Dole began an innovative campaign of advertising with recipes in ladies magazines, the popularity of the fruit increased and was sought by households throughout the U.S.
| Kingdom | Plantae – Plants |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta – Vascular plants |
| Superdivision | Spermatophyta – Seed plants |
| Division | Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants |
| Class | Liliopsida – Monocotyledons |
| Subclass | Zingiberidae – |
| Order | Bromeliales – |
| Family | Bromeliaceae – Bromeliad family |
| Genus | Ananas P. Mill. – pineapple |
http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pineapple.html