Annatto (Bixa orellana) seeds

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