Family: Achiote (Bixaceae) Hardiness: Protect from frost. (Lipstick Tree, Mzingefuri) Bushy evergreen tree to 30 feet, native to tropical America. Protect from frost. Highly ornamental, with showy flowers giving way to the orange-red pods. The pulverized, brick-red seeds are the source of bixin, a dye universally employed as a harmless coloring agent for dairy products and other foods. Aphrodisiac and antiinflammatory. Body paint. These bushy shrubs to small trees are commonly used in the subtropics along roadways, planted in a line as a living, flowering fence. They make a handsome accent wherever there is room for their spreading form–in yards, in town and in the country. In the temperate north, they may be grown as a potted plant, taken indoors for the winter. Plant prefers full sun to part shade. Sow seed in warm conditions, in the greenhouse or under grow lights. Use a fast draining mix, barely cover the seed, tamp well and keep evenly moist until germ, which occurs in 1 to 2 weeks. Packet contains 20 seeds 5 g contains ~200 seeds 10 g contains ~400 seeds Open Pollinated, Untreated, NO GMO;s
