| Lipstick Tree | |
| Bixa orellana | |
| a.k.a. Annato, Urucum, Achiote |
Spiny red fruit with hard, deep red seeds that are used as a spice, in cosmetics, and as an industrial dye.
Description: Small tree or bush, to 6-20ft. Most types or red, but there are rarer, yellow and green fruiting plants.
Hardiness: Lipstick trees are frost sensitive and grows best in direct sunlight.
Growing Environment: The lipstick tree will succeed in subtropical climates, but flourishes in the tropics, where profusions of fruit ripen on and off throughout the year.
Propagation: Often propagated by seed, which can sprout from 2-16 weeks after planting. Cuttings can be rooted, and some plants are propagated by grafting. Lipstick tree's usually bear fruit within 1-2 years from seed or planting.
Uses: Seeds yield a red dye that is used in numerous commercial and industrial processes. Historically, indigenous peoples have used the seeds and plant for body paint, and to treat a variety of maladies.
Native Range: Native to Central and South America. Has spread throughout much of the Caribbean and many tropical regions on other continents.