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Project Noah Nature School
Bixa orellana
Achiote or as it is known in the U.S., annatto, is a rainforest shrub or small tree native to the neotropics. It is best known for the pigment produced from its spiney fruits. When crushed, the bright red seeds of this plant serve as a body paint or food coloring - giving the plant the name the "lipstick" tree. Achiote also has many medicinal uses. The dye is used as an insect repellent by indigenous peoples. The leaves are used to treat dysentery, hepatitis, tonsillitus, and dermatitis.
It is commonly seen along the trails around our study sites and is also featured in the ReNuPeru Medicinal Plant Garden.
In addition to creating a brilliant face paint, achiote is also used commercially as a food coloring. Can you guess what US products might use achiote as a food coloring? (Hint: Wisconsin is famous for one of them!)
Spotted on Jul 14, 2011
Submitted on Jun 14, 2012
2 Comments
@Gerardo. Thanks! I see you are an amphibian and mammal expert? We are going to attempt to do live postings from the Amazon between June 26 and July 12. It would be great if you could follow our mission and make suggestions for some of our spottings. We need all the help we can get! ;-)
Very cool nice spotting and info!