A friendly pineapple
Most gardeners have tried, at one time or another, to grow a pineapple (Ananas comosus) from the green tuft at the end of the fruits, or at least they did till producers started cutting them out! The trouble is that even if you do manage to root the tops without them rotting your reward is a huge plant with viciously sharp leaves that will shred your furnishings if not yourself. So an unarmed pineapple is a good thing to have and whether the introduction of armless pineapples being sold as houseplants is a spinoff from the fruit industry or the houseplant nurseries I am not sure but it does make the plants being sold in pots much better houseplants.
So I was delighted to take this lovely plant home with me from a trip to IKEA last year and watch the fruit develop. It is a pretty undemanding houseplant and does not need any special treatment as long as it is never waterlogged and is in good light.
Of course, being a bromeliad, once the fruit has developed and been cut the main rosette dies but offsets grow from the base, just like they do commercially.
The Biking Gardener 
How interesting! Next time I go to IKEA……!
I tried to root the miniature pineapple once, and will try again. It was not that easy.
Yes, I have never found the tops very easy to root.
I also bought one of these “mini pineapples” from IKEA. There is a dearth of information on their specific care, so I will continue to care for mine as if it were a full-sized pineapple plant. Does anyone suppose it is a dwarf cultivar? Regular pineapple plants get to be as tall and wide as 5′, but I haven’t heard of the IKEA pineapple getting this big. Also the foliage is thinner and more elongated.
Mine was on its last leg and headed for the IKEA dumpster. I gave it water and light and a larger pot, but it had been kept in the dark for so long I believe I burned its leaves. 😦