Bixa is an evergreen shrub or sapling 2-4 m tall in cultivation, with chestnut-colored branches, with an indumentum of glandular hairs. Leaves are cordate-ovate to triangular-ovate, 7-25 x 4-18 cm. Multiplies by seeds and cuttings. Requires sunny or part shade exposure and protection from wind. Not very tolerant to cold. The wood has local uses. Its seeds are used in folk medicine to combat headache and to cure burns. They are also used to obtain dye.