TopTropicals Plant Catalog

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Bixa orellana Family: Bixaceae Lipstick tree, Annato Origin: tropical South America This erect shrub with large, glossy green, prominently veined leaves that can become a small tree several feet tall. It is grown as a garden ornamental less for its pale pink flowers, which last only one day, than for its highly decorative two-valved seed pods, covered with soft, deep red hairs. The seeds inside are surrounded by orange-red arils, which yield a dye called annato that can be used in small quantities to colour lipstick and foods like cheese and margarine; the dried seed pods are also effective in flower arrangements. When used as a hedge or screen, Bixa should be pruned often to encourage bush growth at the bottom of the trunk. Link to this plant: http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/bixa_orellana.htm