1. A pineapple is not a single fruit. A pineapple is actually a giant cluster of dozens of individual berries that fused together around a central core! Each diamond-shaped "eye" on the prickly skin was once an individual flower on the plant.

2. They take nearly two years to grow. Pineapples grow very slowly! It takes about 18 to 24 months for a single pineapple plant to grow, flower, and produce just one ripe pineapple fruit.

3. They don't grow on trees. Many people imagine pineapples hanging from palm trees, but they actually grow right out of the center of a spiky leafy bush close to the ground!

4. You can grow a brand new plant from the leafy top. Don't throw away the prickly green crown on top of your pineapple! If you twist it off, trim the lower leaves, and plant it in soil, it will sprout roots and grow a whole new pineapple plant.

5. They used to be rented as luxury fashion accessories. In 18th-century Europe, pineapples were so rare and expensive that wealthy people would pay huge amounts of money just to rent one for an evening to carry around at parties as a symbol of rich status!

6. Pineapples don't get any sweeter after being picked. Unlike bananas or apples that keep ripening on your kitchen counter, pineapples stop getting sweeter the second they are harvested from the plant.

7. Hawaii isn't native to pineapples. Although Hawaii became famous for giant pineapple plantations, the fruit actually originated in the tropical rainforests of South America (in the area between Brazil and Paraguay) before traveling around the world.