The lipstick plant may not be familiar to many people, but it's likely in your bathroom, in some form or other.

The plant yields two orange-yellow pigments (bixin and norbixin) that are used in shampoos and conditioners, toothpaste, soaps, lotions and hair-styling gels.

Commonly called annatto or achiote, the plant's color comes from the oily, reddish-orange pulp that surrounds the tiny seeds inside the fruits.

Native to tropical areas of the Americas, annatto (scientific name Bixa orellana) was introduced to the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. It is now widely distributed throughout the tropics.

Annatto is reported to have been an ingredient of the original Aztec chocolate drink. Whether it was to add rich oiliness, or to enhance the chocolate color, the practice carried over to Europe until the end of the 1600s.

People such as the Yanomamo of Venezuela paint their bodies, faces and lips (the original lipstick!) with lipstick plant pulp. It probably was used primarily to beautify the body, but it also was useful as insect repellent.

For hundreds of years, the entire plant was used for medicinal purposes: as a diuretic, a disinfectant, a purgative, to treat fevers, skin and stomach disorders, and even for snakebites, among other uses.

Commercially, annatto is used primarily as a colorant for cosmetics, but it also sometimes colors cheeses, butter and margarine.

In Latin America and Southeast Asia, the pulp of the annatto is usually fried in oil, the seeds removed, and the colored oil used in rice dishes, soups and gravies. Annatto is nearly tasteless and odorless.

Body adornment and cooking aside, the lipstick plant makes a beautiful addition to the garden landscape, especially when it's flowering or fruiting.

The evergreen shrub grows to a height of 6 feet to 20 feet, with dark green, heart-shaped leaves. Flowers are delicate pink to pinkish-white, about 3 inches across, and grow in clusters at the tips of branches.

The gorgeous pointed, oblong fruit capsules, covered with soft spines, are two to three inches long, and are usually a bright red when ripe.

At Foster Garden, there is a yellow-fruited plant that grows alongside the red-fruited specimen. It's fruiting now.

When ripe, the fruits dry up and turn dark brown. They open up along a seam, much like a duck opens its bill, to reveal the pulp-covered seeds.

Propagation is by seed, air layering or cuttings, and it grows best in sunny areas with good drainage.

Watch out for rose beetles, which chew up the leaves.

A tip for the holidays: If you can find them, the red and yellow capsules make bright, attractive accents for wreaths.