= Pineapple
The <pineapple>, Ananas comosus, is a perennial <angiosperm> in <Bromeliaceae>, cultivated for its conspicuous fleshy fruiting structure. The familiar edible object is a <multiple fruit>: it develops from the products of several <flowers> in one <inflorescence>, rather than from one large <ovary (botany)>.<Ananas comosus in Plants of the World Online>[Accepted name and classification]{ref} <Multiple fruit in the New York Botanical Garden French Guianan E-Flora glossary>[Pineapple photograph and developmental description]{ref}
A useful examination starts with the repeated units on its surface. These reflect the organization of the earlier <inflorescence>. In the New York Botanical Garden's illustrated specimen, each <flower> is associated with a <bract>, and the floral <ovary (botany)> is inferior. The development of the whole mass therefore combines neighboring units and associated tissues.<Multiple fruit in the New York Botanical Garden French Guianan E-Flora glossary>[Description of flowers, bracts and inferior ovaries]{ref}
For an illustrative tracing exercise, label three adjacent <flowers> before fruit development and follow their contributions into the mature <pineapple>. They retain three floral origins even when the products become one apparent mass. This distinguishes a <multiple fruit> from an <aggregate fruit>, which starts from several separate <carpels> in a single <flower>.
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