More than 2200 species of the wild flora and fauna photographed in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico and the surrounding area.
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Mallows, Rock-roses, and Allies of Zihuatanejo
ORDER MALVALES
Lipsticktree
Bixa orellana
Flowers by Colour
-Vascular Plants (Phylum Tracheophyta)
-Flowering Plants (Subphylum Angiospermae)
-Mallows, Rock-roses, and Allies (Order Malvales)
-Achiote Family (Family Bixaceae)
-Genus Bixa
-Lipsticktree (Bixa orellana)
Bixa orellana, commonly called annato or achiote, is an evergreen tropical shrub or small tree that is native to tropical parts of Central and South America. Dyes from this plant are still commercially produced for adding yellow color to a number of food products including chorizo, margarine, rice and cheese. Indigenous people still use the dyes for cosmetics (hence the common name of lipstick tree) and hair dyes.
Description
• Bixa orellana, commonly known as annatto, achiote, or lipstick tree, is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Bixaceae. It has large, simple, heart-shaped leaves with pointed tips and clusters of flowers with five pale pink or white petals and numerous prominent stamens. Its distinctive fruits are rounded, reddish capsules covered in soft or bristly spines. When ripe, the capsules split open to reveal seeds coated in a bright red-orange pigment used traditionally as a food colouring, dye, and cosmetic.
Range
• Bixa orellana is native to tropical America, probably originating in the Amazon region, and has been cultivated and naturalized throughout the tropics worldwide. It is cultivated in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, and the surrounding area.
Habitat
• This tropical plant grows in warm, frost-free environments, including tropical forest margins, secondary woodland, scrubland, and cultivated gardens. It favours sunny to partly shaded locations with well-drained soil and regular moisture, although established plants can tolerate some seasonal dryness.
