Contrary to popular belief, pineapples do not grow on trees or vines, but rather on a leafy plant that is part of the bromeliad family. The plant consists of stocky leaves whorled around a central stem, and the tapered, sword-like leaves can grow up to about 5 feet long. The pineapple fruit grows out of the top of the central stem, and it is actually the result of dozens of individual fruit-producing flowers that have fused into a single fruit, which is capped with a "crown" sporting numerous short leaves. Pineapples are most often propagated from vegetative growths of another pineapple plant, such as the de-fruited crown of a pineapple plant.

To grow a pineapple outdoors, youll need an area that is warm and sunny all year, and pineapples grow best in USDA zones 11 and 12 in the United States, including Hawaii, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Pineapples are indigenous to South America and the Caribbean, but they are grown in large quantities in tropical Asia as well. Today, pineapples can be grown almost anywhere in the world, and they are well-suited to growing in pots, which makes them much easier to grow indoors than many other tropical fruits.