Lawsonia inermis
(Egyptian privet)

Preferred Common Name

• Egyptian privet

Other Scientific Names

• Alcanna spinosa (L.) Gaertn.
• Casearia multiflora Spreng.
• Lawsonia alba Lam.
• Lawsonia purpurea Lam.
• Lawsonia speciosa L.
• Lawsonia spinosa L.
• Rotantha combretoides Baker

International Common Names

• English: camphire; henna; henna tree; mignonette tree
• Spanish: alcana; alhena; jenna; reseda
• French: henne; henné
• Arabic: hinná; yoranna
• Portuguese: alfeneiro; hena; hésia

Local Common Names

• Cambodia: krâpéén
• Dominican Republic: resedón
• Germany: Hennastrauch
• India: hena; marithoni; maruthani; mehedi; mendhi; mendi
• Indonesia: inai
• Indonesia/Java: pacar kuku
• Italy: alcanna vera; arbusto della henna
• Laos: kaaw
• Lesser Antilles: copiae
• Malaysia: hinna; inai; pacar kuku
• Myanmar: dan
• Pakistan: hena; mendhi
• Philippines: cinamomo
• Vietnam: lá mòn; nhuôm móng

EPPO code

• LAWIN (Lawsonia inermis)

Trade name

• henna
• mendhi

• Domain: Eukaryota
•     Kingdom: Plantae
•         Phylum: Spermatophyta
•             Subphylum: Angiospermae
•                 Class: Dicotyledonae
•                     Order: Myrtales
•                         Family: Lythraceae
•                             Genus: Lawsonia - (Withdrawn)
•                                 Species: Lawsonia inermis

The family Lythraceae comprises 31 genera and 620 species of herbs, shrubs and trees that are recognizable by their flaky bark; opposite, entire leaves that lack gland dots; ovary is more or less superior. The fruit is usually a capsule; the testa of about half the genera has distinctive, initially inverted mucilaginous hairs (Stevens, 2012). Lawsonia is a small genus of just two species: Lawsonia inermis and Lawsonia odorata (The Plant List, 2013). The specific epithet inermis means unarmed or without spines (Orwa et al., 2009).

L. inermis is a much-branched, glabrous shrub or small tree, 2-6 m tall, with greyish-brown bark, unarmed when young, older plants with spine-tipped branchlets. Young branches quadrangular. Leaves opposite, entire and sub-sessile, elliptic to broadly lanceolate, 1.5-5 cm x 0.5-2 cm. Flowers numerous in large, pyramidal, terminal cymes, fragrant, 1 cm across and 4-merous, calyx with 2 mm long tube, and 3 mm long spreading lobes; petals orbicular or obovate, white or red; stamens 8, inserted in pairs on the rim of the calyx tube; ovary 4-celled, style up to 5 mm long, erect. Fruit a globose capsule, 4-8 mm in diameter, many-seeded, opening irregularly. Seeds 3 mm long, angular, with thick coat (Oyen, 1991). 

L. inermis occurs wild from Iran and Pakistan to western India. From there it would have spread eastward to the rest of India and Indonesia, and westward to the Middle East where it became one of the important plants of Islam. Aronson et al. (2017) suggest that it was introduced to the Middle East 1500-2500 years ago. Later, Islamic armies and traders from Arabia introduced this species in areas as far as Spain, northern Africa, Madagascar, the Moluccas, Indo-China and Japan (PROTA, 2017). Currently, this species can be found throughout the tropics and subtropics. It is often grown in home gardens and commercial production is limited to a few places in India, Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, Libya, Niger and Sudan (Oyen, 1991; PROTA, 2017).

The earliest known use of the dye (henna) prepared from L. inermis dated to the Ancient Egypt. Egyptians used this plant to stain mummies and mummy’s wrappings. Later, between 1400-1500 BC, Greeks probably moved this species from the Middle East and North Africa to the Mediterranean islands and Europe. In classical Greece, henna was well known as a medicinal and cosmetic plant (Zavada, 1993).

Soil drainage

• free
• impeded

Soil reaction

• acid
• alkaline
• neutral

Soil texture

• heavy
• light
• medium

Special soil tolerances

• infertile
• saline
• shallow

Birds feed on the fruits of L. inermis and probably disperse the seeds (Orwa et al., 2009).

Intentional Introduction

L. inermis has been widely introduced to be used as ornamental and hedge plants, and for the commercial production of henna, a dye extracted from its leaves (Oyen, 1991; Orwa et al., 2009; PROTA, 2017; USDA-ARS, 2017).

Impact on habitats

L. inermis removes a large quantity of nutrients from the soil. For example, a yield of 1000 kg dry leaves removes about 180-190 kg of nitrogen, 100-150 kg of potassium and 10-30 kg of phosphate (Orwa et al., 2009).

Impact on biodiversity

L. inermis can grow forming dense thickets which are able to cause environmental degradation by out-competing and replacing native vegetation, mostly native vegetation on alluvial soils and in riparian zones (PROTA, 2017).

The henna dye is known to be dangerous to people with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency and may cause allergic reaction and injuries to the skin (FDA, 2017).

• Proved invasive outside its native range
• Abundant in its native range
• Highly adaptable to different environments
• Is a habitat generalist
• Tolerates, or benefits from, cultivation, browsing pressure, mutilation, fire etc
• Pioneering in disturbed areas
• Benefits from human association (i.e. it is a human commensal)
• Long lived
• Fast growing
• Gregarious

• Altered trophic level
• Ecosystem change/ habitat alteration
• Monoculture formation
• Negatively impacts human health
• Reduced native biodiversity
• Threat to/ loss of native species

• Causes allergic responses
• Competition - monopolizing resources
• Competition - smothering
• Herbivory/grazing/browsing
• Rapid growth
• Rooting

• Highly likely to be transported internationally deliberately

Economic Value

L. inermis is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is often planted as ornamental for its fragrant flowers. It is also cultivated for the production of henna: an orange-red dye obtained from macerated, triturated or powdered leaves. Henna dye is used for dyeing cloth and hair, for staining nails, palms and soles, and in traditional medicine. Leaves are browsed by livestock and the wood is used to make tent pegs and tool handles (Oyen, 1991; Orwa et al., 2009; PROTA, 2017; USDA-ARS, 2017).

Environmental Services

L. inermis has been successfully planted in soil conservation projects (Orwa et al., 2009). It can also be grown as a live fence.