BIXA ORELLANA 
Bixa — from the Brazilian name “Biche” ; orellana : after Fr. cle 
Orellana, 1505-50, explorer of the Amazoo River. 
English name: 
Annatto tree, Heart-leaved 
Bixa. 
Family : 
Bixaceae. 
Country of origin 
: South America. 
Colour : 
flowers pink or rose colour, 
fruits reddy brown, leaves large 
and copper coloured. 
Garden use : 
makes a quick growing hedge, 
also quite decorative as a shrub. 
Propagation : 
cuttings or seed. Plants grow 
and flower sooner from cuttings 
than from seed. 
A dye is prepared from the pulp surrounding 
the seeds which has been used for silks, also for 
colouring butter, cheese and chocolate. “The 
Indians paint the whole of their bodies with this 
colour; and it is sometimes used as a rouge by 
European females”. [Curtis Botanical Magazine, 
1812]. 
A, fruits. 
B, longitudinal section of a fruit. 
