Cheerful Colors. Plant of the Day: Annatto, aka Achiote - "Bixa orellana" - the Lipstick Tree

2017 Winter Show

Partly sunny today with a forecasted high of 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The Winter Flower Show in the Sunken Garden continues to please the eyes and brighten the mind. Gardeners and volunteers are to be congratulated on their phenomenal ability to blend cheerful colors, textures and plant height into a beautiful and colorful mindful and aromatic sensory experience. The last day to enjoy this feast for the eyes is Sunday, March 12th.

Multiple plants in the North Garden are providing a show of fruit and flowers. The jackfruit is starting to bloom fruit in various sections of the tree. I was pleased to see a maturing cherry on the Surinam cherry tree, Eugenia uniflora, near the big fig tree in the back of the room. Multiple cacao pods are hanging on the chocolate tree (yes, there's a chocolate tree in here!).

Surinam cherry

The plant of the day is the Annatto - Bixa orellana, also known as the Lipstick Tree. This plant is considered a shrub but can take the shape of and look like a small tree. This shrub is called the Lipstick Tree because dyes are made from the red seeds. In addition to lipstick, as a natural dye, annatto paste has been used for: body painting during festivals, fabric dye, crafts, murals, varnish, soap and cosmetics.

In addition to dyes, the seeds have been used for medicinal purposes to treat various ailments including skin disorders, constipation, asthma and nausea. The Piura rainforest tribe makes a tea using young shoots to use on skin disorders, to treat fevers and other conditions. A leaf concoction of annatto is used in Brazil herbal medicine to treat stomach upset from spicy foods, to treat fevers and topically to treat burns. Small dosages of annatto seed powder have been used to help with cholesterol and hypertension. Various other concoctions are used in South American communities to treat a wide range of ailments.

For more information:

http://www.sacredearth.com/ethnobotany/plantprofiles/achiote.php

http://ntbg.org/plants/plant_details.php?plantid=1760

http://luirig.altervista.org/pics/index5.php?recn=2648&page=1

http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/content/lipstick-tree.htm