Lawsonia inermis

Lawsonia inermis L.                               

Family     :  Lythraceae

Common Name :മൈലാഞ്ചി(Mal)

                                Henna (Eng)

  मेहेंदी(Hin)                       

     IUCN status         : Least concern (LC) -

Henna is a tall shrub or small tree, standing 6-25 ft tall. It is hairless and multi-branched, with spine-tipped branchlets. The leaves grow opposite each other on the stem. They are hairless, nearly-stalkless, elliptical, and lanceshaped.

Woody shrubs to small trees; bark ashy grey or brown, smooth, branchlets ending in thoens. Leaves opposite, 2.5-4.5 x 1-2 cm, elliptic or oblong to oblanceolate, base attenuate, apex acute or rounded, subsessile. Flowers in terminal cymose panicles; pedicels 2-4 mm long. Flowers sweet-scented, creamy white or red, 4-merous. Calyx tube c. 2 mm long, cupular; lobes 4, 2-3 mm long. Petals 4, 3-4 mm long, orbicular or obovate. Stamens 8; filaments 4-5 mm long, inflexed in bud. Ovary globose, 4-celled. Fruit purplish green, 4-6 x 5-7 mm, globose, smooth, dehiscing irregularly; seeds c. 2.5 mm long.