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Lawsonia inermis L.

Synonym                    : Lawsonia alba Lam.

Family                        : Lythraceae

Local Names              : Mailanchi, Pontalasi, Henna plant, Samphire

Flowering and fruiting period: December – May

Distribution: Central Asia and India

Habitat: Grown as hedge plant

IUCN status: Data Deficient

Endemic: No

Uses: Henna a well-known ethnomedicinal plant used cosmetically and medicinally in the Indian traditional folk medicines for thousand years. Root is used as abortifacient, to treat leprosy, skin diseases, dysmenorrhoea and premature greying of hair. The leaves are used as an astringent or as a prophylactic against skin diseases and the bark is useful in the treatment of jaundice, enlargement of the spleen, calculus affection and skin diseases. The leaves of the henna plant are the source of red-brown dye widely used for body art. The paste of ground leaves has been used to colour skin, hair, fingernails, leather, silk and wool. The flowers and fruits are used in perfumery.

Key Characters: Woody shrubs; bark ashy grey or brown, smooth, branchlets ending in spines.  Leaves elliptic or oblong. Flowers in terminal cymose panicles. Flowers sweet-scented, creamy white. Calyx tube cupular; lobes 4.  Petals 4, orbicular or obovate. Stamens 8; filaments inflexed in bud.  Ovary globose, 4-celled. Fruit purplish green, globose, dehiscing irregularly.