Overview
Bixaceae, or the achiote family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants. Under the Cronquist system, it was traditionally placed in the order Violales. However, newer arrangements move it, with some other families previously in the Violales families, into the Malvales.
Bixaceae includes 3 genera and a total of 25 species, although Cochlospermum is sometimes placed into its own family, Cochlospermaceae. The best-known of the species in this family is the source of annatto, the achiote, which belongs to the type genus of the family.
Although small, this family has the diversity within to include trees, herbs and shrubs. The plants are bisexual, and all species have five sepals. All plants within the Bixaceae produce a red, orange or yellow latex.
Taxonomy
The Family Bixaceae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Genus (32): Amoreuxia · Ateleste · Bixa · Chaulmoogra · Chilmoria · Chlanis · Cochlospermum · Craepaloprumnon · Dasianthera · Diegodendron · Eriudaphus · Euryanthe · Heptaca · Hisingera · Marottia · Monospora · Moquerysia · Munnicksia · Myrtophyllum · Orellana · Pectinea · Phoberos · Polycarpa · Renardia · Rhamnicastrum · Rhamnopsis · Rhinanthera · Roumea · Ryparia · Stigmarota · Tetracocyne · Thiodia
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 160 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in the Family Bixaceae.
Genera
Amoreuxia
Amoreuxia is a genus of flowering plants in the achiote family, Bixaceae. It was formerly placed in the family Cochlospermaceae. Members of the genus are commonly known as yellowshow. [more]
Ateleste
Bixa
Bixa The plant is a tall shrub to small evergreen tree 6-10 m high, from tropical South America. It bears clusters of 5-cm bright white to pink flowers, resembling single wild roses, appearing at the tips of the branches. The fruits are in clusters: spiky looking red-brown seed pods covered in soft spines. The fleshy fruit is the source of orange henna or annatto dye, made from its pulp. The leaves are broad, smooth, heart-shaped, ovate and lush green, 18 cm long. For centuries, an orange dye extracted from the seed coverings has been used as body paint by South American Indians, and before synthetic dyes revolutionized industry, the tree was planted commercially for the same dye, which was used to color cheese, margarine, chocolate, fabric and paints - and of course, lipstick, hence the popular name. The plant is also valued for its stem fibre (used in rope mats) and an adhesive gum which is extracted from all parts. [more]
Chaulmoogra
Chilmoria
Chlanis
Cochlospermum
Cochlospermum is a genus of in the Cochlospermaceae family; many classifications place this genus in the family Bixaceae. [more]
Craepaloprumnon
Dasianthera
Diegodendron
Eriudaphus
Euryanthe
A Genus in the Kingdom Plantae. [more]
Heptaca
Hisingera
Marottia
Monospora
Moquerysia
Munnicksia
Myrtophyllum
Orellana
A Genus in the Kingdom Plantae. [more]
Pectinea
Phoberos
Polycarpa
Renardia
Rhamnicastrum
Rhamnopsis
Rhinanthera
Roumea
Ryparia
Stigmarota
Tetracocyne
Thiodia
At least 33 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Thiodia.
More info about the Genus Thiodia may be found here.
Sources
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