Bixaceae

species of South American plant

The Bixaceae are a family of dicotyledonous plants commonly called the achiote family. Under the Cronquist system, the family was traditionally placed in the order Violales. However, newer arrangements move it, with some other families previously in the Violales, into the Malvales.

right|thumb|250px|Open fruit of the achiote tree (Bixa orellana), showing the seeds from which annatto is extracted

Bixa is a genus of plants in the family Bixaceae. It is native to Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, and South America, and naturalized in other places.

thumb|Cochlospermum vitifolium in Guanacaste, [[Costa Rica]] The Cochlospermaceae were a family of two genera and 20-25 species of trees and shrubs, first described by Jules Émile Planchon in 1847. They have been included in the Bixaceae from the APG III system onwards. The older APG II system treated this family as an optional segregate of Bixaceae. They occur widely throughout the tropical regions of the world, but are absent from Malaysia. Most species in this family are mesophytic or xerophytic, growing primarily in drier climates.

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. They are native to Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Peru, Curaçao, and the southwestern United States.

species of plant

Diegodendron is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Bixaceae. The only known species is Diegodendron humbertii.