Ananas comosus var. comosus (L.) Merill[as Ananas comosus var. comosus (Linnaeus) Merrill]

Observations: —The highly variable A. comosus var. comosus is characterized by its large fruit (up to several kilograms in some cultivars), borne on a wide and strong peduncle. Its leaves are numerous (44-80) and wide (> 5 cm). In spiny cultivars, spines are antrorse and generally denser than in other botanical varieties Certain cultivars are partially spiny (e.g. the cultivar Smooth Cayenne') or even completely smooth (as in the cultivars with the 'piping' trait). Seeds are rare because most cultivars present reduced fertility combined with self-incompatibility (Coppens d'Eeckenbrugge et al., 1993). Since the first Spanish and Portuguese great voyages, cultivation of A. comosus var. comosus has become pantropical.

The species A. monstrosus (Carriere) L.B. Smith was invalidated by Leal (1990) because the crownless fruit characteristic is not stable. In addition, the names A. monstrosus and A. lyman-smithii Camargo, on which it is based, are illegitimate, the former because Carriere never intended to describe a new species and the latter because it is a nomen nudum.

Edited from : Bartholomew et al. 2003. The pineapple: botany, production and uses .