Bixa orellana can be found in regions spanning the globe. Grown from either seed or cutlings, B. orellana requires full sunlight and protection from the wind (Morton 1974). The plant grows equally well in lowlands and mountainous regions or areas of higher elevation (Bruggeman 1957). Native to the tropical American area, B. orellana is found in largest quantities from Mexico to Ecuador, Brazil, and Bolivia. This plant is cultivated in warm regions of the world, such as India, Sri Lanka, and Java (Wolf 1997) mainly for the dye which the seeds yield. Bixa has been found in and about the towns of the Philippines (Quisumbing 1951), southeastern Africa (Williamson 1955), and Dominica (Honychurch 1980), and is commonly planted in Florida as an ornamental. There are a variety of common names for B. orellana because it flourishes in a variety of places. It is most frequently called “annato” or “achiote” in North America. Some of its other common names around the world are as follows: “changuarica,” “k’u-zub,” and “pumacua” (Mexico), “annato” and “urucu” (Brazil), “urucum” (Germany), “roucou” (Dominica and the French West Indies), “achiot” (Colombia), and “arnotto” (Amerindian).