Bixa orellana L.

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Ecology

Alt. 0 - 2500 m.

Conservation

Not Evaluated.

Distribution

Native and cultivated in Colombia.

Morphology General Habit

Shrub.

Vernacular

Urucú, eroyá, uñañé, unucú, achoote, woukou.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/61986316/61986320

Conservation

LC - least concern

Bixaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:1. 1954

Morphology General Habit

An introduced shrub; sometimes subspontaneous.

Bixaceae, H. Wild. Flora Zambesiaca 1:1. 1960

Morphology General Habit

Shrub or small tree up to 8 m. tall; branches and rhachis of the inflorescence covered with rusty scales.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-lamina 7.5–24 x 4–16 cm., ovate, apex long-acuminate, base cordate or truncate, densely scaly beneath at first, later glabrescent, 5-nerved from the base, petiole up to 12 cm. long, thickened at the base and apex.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers in terminal 8–50-flowered panicles or corymbs; bracts 5–10 mm. long, caducous; pedicels 8–10 mm. long, red-scaly, apex thickened and with 5–6 sessile glands.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals 10–12 mm. long, purplish, scaly, obovate, concave, blunt.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals 5–7, unequal, obovate, obtuse or refuse, pinkish-white.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers

Anthers violet.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary globose, with dense, red-blotched bristles; style 1.2–1.5 cm. long; stigma-lobes very short.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule narrowly ovoid, acute, densely covered with stiff, slender bristles, opening to the base by two valves.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds c. 4 mm. long, numerous, obovoid-angular; testa covered with minute, red, sessile glands.

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution

Nativa y cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 2500 m.; Amazonia, Andes, Guayana y Serranía de La Macarena, Islas Caribeñas, Llanura del Caribe, Orinoquia, Pacífico, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.

Morphology General Habit

Arbusto, arbolito, árbol

Conservation

No Evaluada

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular

abujo, achiote, achiote amarillo, achiote de bija, achiote de cholo, achiote de monte, achiote pepa roja, achiote rojo, achiote verde, achiotillo, achote, achote amarillo, achote casero, achote colorado, achote de bija, achote de monte, achote montañero, achote silvestre, anoto, bija, bijo, onoto, palo de bija

Bixaceae, D. M. Bridson. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1975

Morphology General Habit

Shrub or small tree l–9(–15) m. tall; young branches densely covered with rust-coloured peltate scales, becoming glabrescent with age.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves petiolate; blades ovate, 5–25 cm. long, 3.3–16.5 cm. wide, apex long acuminate, base cordate or less often truncate (very rarely obtuse), very young leaves with rust-coloured sessile scales beneath, soon becoming glabrescent or glabrous, with 5–6 pairs of lateral nerves, the second pair always arising from the base together with the first pair, prominent beneath; petiole slender, 1.2–13 cm. long, distinctly thickened at the base and apex.

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules ± lanceolate, 0.4–1.5 cm. long, leaving a very shallow scale-like scar with 2 sessile glands.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Panicles or corymbs 8–50-flowered; pedicels 4–12 mm. long, thickened towards apex, densely covered with rusty-red peltate scales; bracts lanceolate to narrowly obovate, 4–7(–10) mm. long, soon caducous, leaving a scale-like scar.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle

Receptacles with (4–)5(–6) pale shining glands, variable in size.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals purplish, ovate, concave, 8–12 mm. long, obtuse or rounded, with rust-coloured sessile scales outside.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals white with light red veins and oblong dots or mauve or bright pink, unequal, obovate, 1.5–3 cm. long, 0.8–2 cm. wide, obtuse to rounded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Filaments 8–14 mm. long; anthers violet or red to purple, 1–1.2 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary ovoid or subglobose, 2.25–3 mm. wide, covered with dense red blotched bristles; style 12–15 mm. long, thickened towards the apex, glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule variable in shape and colour, rounded with an abrupt short acuminate apex or elongate-ovate with a long acuminate apex, (l.4–)2–4.5 cm. long, (l.7–)2–4 cm. wide, sometimes with a short stipe up to 4 mm. long, densely covered with red to brown stiff bristles, variable in length (there is also a variety with smooth capsules which does not occur in Africa); endocarp detaching, membranous and shiny.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds numerous, red-brown, obovoid-angular, 4–5 mm. long; testa studded with minute red glands; funicles 2–3 mm. long, with a disc-shaped apex.

Habitat

Cultivated, sometimes naturalized; 30–1750 m.

Distribution

K4 K7 T3 T4 T6 U Z commonly cultivated throughout the tropics

Vernacular

Bijá, Onoto

Use Food Food Additives

Used as a condiment (Pérez Arbeláez 1996).

Use Materials Tannins/Dyestuffs

Used as a colorant in cosmetics (Rugeles Chacón et al. 2012, Tapasco et al. 2015). Seeds - Orange dye obtained from the seeds id used to dye basketry (Linares 1994).

Use Materials Unspecified Materials Chemicals

Materials (State of the World's Plants 2016).

Use Medicines Unspecified Medicinal Disorders

Medicinal (State of the World's Plants 2016, Instituto Humboldt 2014).