Pineapple (now termed pine cones). When European explorers encountered this tropical fruit in the Americas, they called them "pineapples" (first referenced in 1664, for resemblance to pine cones). In the scientific binomial "Ananas comosus", "ananas", the original name of the fruit, comes from the Tupi word "nanas", meaning "excellent fruit", as recorded by André Thevet in 1555, and "comosus", "tufted", refers to the stem of the fruit. Other members of the genus "Ananas" are often called pine, as well, in other languages. The pineapple is a herbaceous perennial, which grows to tall, although sometimes it can be taller. In appearance, the
Thelenota ananas over the surface of its body. It has numerous large tubed feet on its flat underside as well. This type of sea cucumber is edible and is considered a delicacy in the Far East countries. Due to intense commercial exploitation, the population of "T. ananas" has declined by 80-90% in at least 50% of its range; it is listed as endangered by IUCN. The worm pearlfish ("Encheliophis vermicularis") is a parasite of this species and each parasitised individual will host a male and female pair of the fish which live inside its body. Thelenota ananas Thelenota ananas, also known as