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Ananas comosus

‘Ara Painapa

Pineapple

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Image:	Leaves and fruit	87KB
Image:	Flowers and leaves	69KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Pineapple; German Ananas; French L'ananas

TRADITIONAL NAMES: ‘Ara Painapo (RR AT MT), ‘Ara Painapa (MG MK), Painapa (AK), Pineapple (PL); Other Polynesian - Fāina (TON), Fala (SAM), Fara Popa‘ā, Fala‘ai (HAW)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Brazil - Paraguay

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Not naturalised; Land, lowlands - mountains (+)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine, Food (Fruit 4+) Export; Poisonous irritant - moderate

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++	++++	++	++?	++	+++	+		-

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Ananas comosus Linnaeus
SYNONYMS: Ananas sativus [incl. TC]; Bromelia; Ananassa

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); LILIOPSIDA (=Monocotyledones); ZINGIBERIDAE; Bromeliales; BROMELIACEAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: Wilder noted in 1920s that the Rough Queen was the only variety on Rarotonga. Fruit eaten and used in "bush beer". Major export industry on Atiu and Managaia. On Mangaia Taratara refers to Rough Queen and Pateka to Smooth Cayenne.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.179 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.65 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.459 Tropica
p.1/275 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.299 R* Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.28 R Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.357d Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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