Anchiote {Bixa orellana} Culinary | Edible | Dye Producer | Heirloom | NON GMO | 10 seeds Free U.S. Shipping! This lovely tropical and sub-tropical shrub or bushy tree has glossy, ovate, evergreen leaves on twigs which are covered with rust-coloured scales when young and are bare when older. Sprays of attractive pink and white flowers open, producing striking, bright red, two-valved fruits, covered with dense soft bristles. When ripe, they split open revealing masses of small, inedible, fleshy seeds, covered with red-orange pulp. The inedible fruit is harvested for its seeds which produce the reddish orange dye annatto, which is one of the most important food grade natural colourants widely used in the dairy industry, and also for confectionery and bakery products, as well as non-edible purposes such as cosmetics and dying leather. Bixa orellana, also known as achiote, is a shrub native to Central America. Bixa orellana is grown in many countries worldwide. The tree is best known as the source of annatto, a natural orange-red condiment obtained from the waxy arils that cover its seeds. The ground seeds are widely used in traditional dishes in Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean, such as cochinita pibil, chicken in achiote, caldo de olla, and nacatamal. Annatto and its extracts are also used as an industrial food coloring to add yellow or orange color to many products such as butter, cheese, margarine, ice creams, meats, and condiments. Some of the indigenous peoples of North, Central, and South American originally used the seeds to make red body paint and lipstick, as well as a spice. For this reason, the Bixa orellana is sometimes called the lipstick tree. Germination Rate 91% Germination : Scarification: Soak in water, let stand in water for 24 hours. Stratification: none required. Germination: sow seed 1/4" deep, tamp the soil, mulch the seed bed.