Redwood ( scientific name : Bixa orellana L.) is a plant of the genus Mahogany in the family Mahoganyaceae , an evergreen shrub or small tree , 2–10 m tall; the conical inflorescence is apical, 5–10 cm long, with a stout peduncle, densely covered with reddish-brown scales and glandular hairs. The capsule is nearly spherical or ovate, densely packed with chestnut-brown long spines, 1–2 cm long, with 2 lobes. The seeds are mostly inverted ovate and dark red.
Mahogany is an important natural pigment tree species, and annatto extracted from the false seed coat of mahogany seeds, also known as mahoganycin, is an important variety of edible natural pigments.
Native to tropical America, it is found in Malaysia, the East Indies, Brazil, the Caribbean and Mexico. China has successively introduced seeds and cultivation in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, Fujian, Taiwan and other regions.
2020.07.18 Photographed at The South China Botanical Garden in Guangzhou.