Lawsonia inermis L.

 
  • Family : LYTHRACEAE
    (Loose-Strife Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : MEHNDI FAMILY (मेंहंदी फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System IV) : Lythraceae
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Lawsonia inermis L.
  • Common name : Henna, Egyptian priven, Cypress shrub, Camphire, Samphire
  • Vernacular name :
    • Mehendi (Hindi)
    • Gorante, Madhurangi (Kannada)
    • Gorinta chettu, Goranti (Telugu)
    • Manjuati, Benjati, Manghati (Oria)
    • Medhini, Nakharanjani (Sanskrit)
    • Mendi (Marathi)
    • Mailanchi, Mylanchi, Pontalasi (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Shrub or Tree
  • Habitat : Grown as hedge plant
  • Comments / notes : Cultivated for the commercial Henna (Mehendi).
  • Key identification features : Small tree
  • Flower, Fruit : December-May
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Anantapur district, Chittoor district, Y.S.R. Kadapa district, East Godavari district, Guntur district, Krishna district, Kurnool district, S.P.S. Nellore district, Prakasam district, Srikakulam district, Visakhapatnam district, Vizianagaram district, West Godavari district
    • Kerala : All districts of Kerala
    • Maharashtra : Akola district
    • Tamil Nadu : Tamil Nadu
    • West Bengal : Birbhum, Burdwan, Howrah, Midnapur, Murshidabad, Purulia
    • Delhi : Delhi
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
    • Punjab : Punjab
    • Rajasthan : Jaisalmer district, Barmer district, Bikaner district, Jodhpur district
    • Andaman and Nicobar Islands : Andaman Islands
  • Native : Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Oman, Pakistan, Panamá, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Tanzania, Yemen
  • Exotic/Native : Exotic
  • World Distribution : Central Asia, India; cultivated throughout warm tropics
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District
    • R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District
    • H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipahar (Similipal), Orissa
    • Sudhakar Reddy, C et al., 2009. Tree Wealth of Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, India
    • Matthew, K.M., Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
    • Parkinson, C.E. 1923. A Forest Flora of the Andaman Islands, Govt. of India, Shimla
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : https://indiatrees-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Lawsonia inermis
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Trees and Vegetation Types. Lawsonia inermis. Downloaded on 3 October 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Line Drawings

Field Image(s)

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

GBIF Distribution

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