Lipstick Tree (Bixa orellana) 红木

Lipstick Tree (Bixa orellana) 红木 (2022 0814)

Locate: Tampines Avenue 7 (Near Tampines Concourse Bus Interchange)

Native to a region between northern South America and Mexico

Family:  Bixaceae

Genus:   Bixa

Species:               B. orellana

Common Name: Anatto, Lipstick Tree, Achiote, Lipstick Plant, Kesumba, Jarak Belanda, Annato Dye Plant, Kunyit Jawa, Kesumba Keling, 胭脂樹、臙脂樹、胭脂木（云南金平）、紅色樹

The tree is best known as the source of annatto, a natural orange-red condiment (also called achiote or bijol) 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.