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Pineapple
Pineapples were introduced to Hawaii in the early 1800s but it wasn’t until 1900 when James Dole established a plantation on Oahu that pineapples were grown in large scale quantities. By 1920 the industry became well-organized on several Hawaiian Islands and had peaked in the 1950s. As competition increased from international growers with lower prices, Hawaii’s pineapple industry slowly began a deep decline and many pineapple growers eventually went out of business. Today, pineapple crops are estimated to grow on 22,000 acres of land with major plantations still located on Oahu and Maui.
Orange
Long ago, orange trees were also commonly grown in Hawaii. Like pineapples, oranges were introduced to Hawaii by explorers. It is believed the first oranges arrived in 1792 on Captain James Cook’s ship Discovery, and were presented upon arrival to tribal chiefs in the Hawaiian Islands. Today, most orange are imported from the US mainland; some residents have orange trees in their yards, but the fruit tends to appear small, discolored and unappealing to consumers, but the fruit is still sweet and juicy.
Guava
Guava was first introduced to Hawaii in the early 1800s; it has apparently acclimated quite well to the conditions at lower elevations in Hawaii because it seems guava is often considered a noxious weed and serious pest in areas where no weed control is practiced. (C’mon now; is having such as tasty weed really considered a problem? I can think of several friends of mine that would be thrilled with such pests of their own.)
Diamond Head crater in Waikiki, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii.
