SIBU: A routine visit to a small garden turned into a moment of surprise for a housewife in Pakan when one of her pineapple plants produced something she had never seen before – two pineapples growing together on a single stalk.
The shape of the pineapples also resembles a pangolin.
Gloria Jawat Ujan, who lives at Rumah George Chunggut in Nanga Nansang, Wak, made the unusual discovery on Wednesday while preparing to harvest fruit from the pineapple plants that she grows in front of the longhouse.
Her son, Matthew Masing, said the family was astonished as they had never encountered such a phenomenon despite having grown pineapples for years.
“Normally, each stalk produces just one fruit. But this time, one stalk produced two pineapples that appeared to be joined together,” he said.
He said the unusual fruit quickly drew the attention of family members and neighbours.
Gloria had grown 15 to 17 pineapple plants around the longhouse compound, mainly for the family’s own consumption.
“Among all the plants my mother grows, this is the first time we have seen a pineapple grow in pairs on a single stalk,” Matthew said.
For now, the family has decided to keep the pineapple the way it is.
Some longhouse residents have suggested that the rare fruit could be used in traditional rituals, as such unusual natural occurrences are sometimes regarded in Iban belief as a sign of good fortune.
But Matthew said the family, who are now Christians, has no plans to conduct any ritual.
“We will probably just hold on to it as a keepsake. To us it is something special, although there may well be a scientific explanation – perhaps the soil, the weather or some other natural factor caused it to grow this way,” he added.
