Object Status:
Unlocated
Accession Date:
June 29, 1790
Primary Source Reference:
Pennsylvania Packet (Philadelphia), 29 June 1790
Additional Source Text:
"Used as a dye for silks and stuffs, and for colouring cheese in Gloucestershire, Great-Britain."
Also listed in Herald of Freedom (Boston), 13 July 1790
Notes:
The seeds of the roucou (or achiote) tree (Bixa orellana), native to tropical regions from Mexico to Brazil, are used to produce annatto, an orange-red condiment and food coloring
Michael Hillegas (1729–1804), a wealthy Philadelphia merchant, was the first treasurer of the United States (1775-1789) and a member of the American Philosophical Society.
Peale's Common Name:
Roucou
Current Common Name:
Rouco tree
Current Scientific Name
Bixa orellana
