In the wild, pineapples are pollinated primarily by hummingbirds.[2][7] Certain wild pineapples are foraged and pollinated at night by bats.[8] Under cultivation, because seed development diminishes fruit quality, pollination is performed by hand, and seeds are retained only for breeding.[2] In Hawaii, where pineapples were cultivated and canned industrially throughout the 20th century,[9] importation of hummingbirds was prohibited.[10]

The ovaries develop into berries, which coalesce into a large, compact, multiple fruit. The fruit of a pineapple is usually arranged in two interlocking helices, often with 8 in one direction and 13 in the other, each being a Fibonacci number.[11