THE ORCHARD FRUITS 215 



green. Florida moss is an epiphyte, living entirely on what suste- 

 nance it can get from the air. The pineapple (fig. 156), on the 

 other hand, is an earth-growing plant with the usual root system; 

 it is perennial, producing rosettes of bayonet-shaped, sharply 

 pointed leaves and flower clusters in a dense head. Above the 

 fused flower cluster there develops another, smaller rosette of 

 foliage. The entire inflorescence forms a compound accessory 



Fig. 156. — Pineapple is a perennial with a stem densely clothed with 

 sharply-pointed leaves. 



fruit, made up of fused petals, sepals, bracts and floral axes. In 

 addition to fruit acids and sugar, pineapples contain a digestive 

 enzyme known as bromelin. Pineapples are one of the few tropical 

 American fruits to be developed as a commercial crop. A native 

 of northern South America, it was being cultivated by the natives 

 of Peru and Mexico before the arrival of the Spaniards, who 

 introduced it to the West Indies, Asia and Africa. Hawaii leads in 

 the production of pineapples for canning. Cuba, Puerto Rico and 

 Central America supply the United States with the fresh fruit. 



