Nibbles: Phylloxera, Nitrogen fixation, Famine, Biofortification, Heritage

Is this really a Roman mosaic of a pineapple?

Roman Mosaic 1 by mharrsch
Roman Mosaic 1, a photo by mharrsch on Flickr.

Originally from the environs of the Villa Rufinella. Is it legit? And if truly ancient Roman, what is that in the upper right hand corner if not a pineapple?

LATER: I should add that I was pointed in the direction of that mosaic by a long, but fascinating, talk on “Mapping the Ancient Environment: The Contribution of Manuscripts and Texts,” 1 which in turn came to me thanks to a tweet from @mem_somerville.

Nibbles: Phenomics, Genomes, Indian cucurbits, Argania, Food in history, Sourghum & drought, USDA genebanks, Queenly pear, CIMMYT genebank, Malawi cowpea, Nutrition strategy