Photo: Diego Delso, via Wikimedia Commons License: CC BY-SA 3.0

Pineapple

Ananas comosus

Herbaceous Bromeliad (Not a Tree)
Full Sun
Frost Tender

Pet & Human Safety

People: Toxic to people (low severity)Pets: Not on the ASPCA lists as we read them

Special populations

NC State notes mild skin irritation in sensitive people from contact with the juice. No other population-specific finding was.

Human edibility

Only some parts are edible

Edible parts

mature fruit (raw, cooked or preserved)

Hazardous parts

fruit (bromelain irritation of mouth, lips, tongue; unripe fruit), leaves (sharp, spiny - mechanical injury; sap), sap/juice (skin and eye irritation), core in excessive amounts (digestive-tract bezoars)

Preparation

Only mature fruit should be eaten; NC State describes mature pineapple as edible raw, cooked, or preserved. No cooking requirement was stated.

Hazard type

Bromelin (bromelain), ethyl acrylate, calcium oxalate crystals, mechanical injury from spiny leaves

Hazard route

ingestion or skin contact

How complete this information is

The safety information on this page is partial. Where a source covers a point, it is shown; where none does, the page says so.

Toxic to pets

No ASPCA entry found.

NC State describes mild skin irritation from juice contact in sensitive people, plus mechanical injury risk from the sharp spiny leaves; large quantities of raw pineapple can also cause throat irritation and a strong laxative effect in people, attributed to bromelain, ethyl acrylate, and calcium oxalate crystals. This is an irritant/mechanical finding specifically documented for humans, not a confirmed systemic pet-poisoning verdict: reported as such rather than extrapolated to pets.

Poison control

If someone has collapsed, cannot be woken, is having a seizure or has trouble breathing, call 911 now. For any other possible poisoning, call Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222.

Emergency number source: U.S. federal law (47 U.S.C. § 251(e)(3)), read 2026-10-07.

Naturalist Lore

Historical Background & Breeding Lore

The history of this plant and its name, and how it was bred, where we have them.

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Care

Hardiness zones: Cannot tolerate freezing below 28F; growth slows below 60F and above 90F; optimal range 68-86F (UF/IFAS MG055).
Mature size: Mature plant 3-6 ft high and wide; space 12-36 in apart, at least 5 ft from other trees/structures to minimize shading (UF/IFAS MG055).
Family: Bromeliaceae (bromeliad family)
Where it comes from: South America; widely grown in Florida as a compact, herbaceous landscape and container plant.

Soil & Drainage

Pruning & Flush Rhythm

Feeding Schedule

How to prepare the soil, when and what to feed, and how and when to prune where that applies.

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