The pineapple weed is not as well known as the pineapple plant. In fact, the pineapple weed is often mistaken with chamomile. It is normal to make that mistake as the pineapple weed and chamomile are close sisters. The pineapple weed, though, is an annual plant that grows only on May to September. The easiest way to differentiate the pineapple weed from its sibling is by crushing its mayweed. Once it is crushed, there will be quite a strong smell of pineapple.
One can also see the difference between the two by looking at the height. The pineapple weed grows to around 30 cm in height. The chamomile can grow so much taller than the weed. The pineapple weed can be found in so many countries both in the southern and northern hemisphere. It has a nickname because it can grow everywhere, the nickname is street weed.
Another distinguishing feature of the pineapple weed is the lackness of the petal. The flower looks like a cone. This means that it looks like round non ray flower. The color of the flower head is yellow greenish. In term of color, the only distinguishing feather between the two, the pineapple weed and the chamomile, is that the flower color of the pineapple weed has no white rays. As for the leaves, the pineapple weed leaves have feathery and narrow segments. The leaves have no hair and the segments grow alternatively on the stems.
The flower of this street weed is actually very tasty. Not only the flower that is edible, but the leaves are also edible and are as tasty as the flower. Many hikers use the pineapple weeds are snacks during the hiking. Many people use the pineapple weed leaves and flowers as one of the components for salads as they mix perfectly too with other salad ingredients, regardless it is a fruit salad or a vegetable salad. Be careful as to avoid and choose the flowers that have not bloomed. The bloom ones will taste bitter on the tongue although they are still edible.
Another alternative in using the pineapple weed flower is to dry the flowers under the sun and crushed it to produce flour. The flour can then be used for many purposes. Pineapple weed is not only able to be turned into food as it can also be changed into tea. This is actually another similarity shares by the pineapple weed and chamomile. The pineapple weed is as good as the chamomile when turned into this all time favorite drink.
