Hi everyone.

Nicholas - Firstly, thanks for keeping us updated, it's both interesting and educational when you come across an unknown plant like this and follow it right through to flowering and hopefully get a positive identification.

Initially I had thought it may have been one of the many Bromelias as they often put our runners and new plants often appear some distance from the original, but the absence of the vicious leaf spines ruled that out.

It is looking more and more like a pineapple (ananas) by the shape of the inflorescence. If you can get a close look at an actual flower, check if it has three petals as this will confirm that it is at least a bromeliad. I think Dave has "nailed it" as a pineapple though, and his suggested history of how it got there is also quite feasible.

I don't know much about the ananas genus as I've never grown them and like many people who have enjoyed the delicious fruit, I am also one who has never actually seen the flowers which are a thing of beauty in their own right .

I'm attaching a picture of an inflorescence on ananas comosus (The common pineapple) so you can compare it with your plant. Interestingly, ananas comosus is the most economically significant plant in the Bromeliaceae family and sold annually world wide in their millions, yet very few of the people who purchase these have ever seen the flowers.

Once again, thanks for the update and please keep the pictures coming.

Ananas comosus

All the best, Nev.