WorldFloraDB - Lawsonia inermis

Characteristics

Glabrous shrub or small tree 1.5–7(–10.5–?12) m. tall often densely tangled and several m. wide; bark ashy grey or brown, smooth or striate; spines (modified young branches) sometimes present and up to 3.5 cm. long.. Leaves elliptic or oblong to oblanceolate, 1–8.5 cm. long, 0.2–3.8 cm. wide, acute, apiculate or occasionally rounded at the apex, cuneate at the base.. Inflorescences 3–25 cm. long; pedicels 2–4 mm. long; bracteoles linear, ± 0.5 mm. long; flowers sweet-scented; buds sometimes reddish at apex.. Calyx-tube 1–1.7 mm. long; lobes 2–3 mm. long.. Petals white, cream, greenish white, green or yellow, 1.5–2.5(–4) mm. long, 4–5 mm. wide.. Filaments 4–5 mm. long.. Style ± 3 mm. long.. Fruits purplish green, 4–6 mm. long, 4.5–8 mm. wide.. Seeds 2–2.6 mm. long.. Fig. 4.

More

A shrub. It has a sweet smell. It grows 3-7 m tall. The bark is greyish-brown. The small branches have spines near their tip. The leaves are simple and opposite. The leaves vary and can be oval and 8-44 mm long by 2-20 mm wide. The flower panicles are 3-22 cm long. They are near the ends of branches. The flowers are white or red and have a scent. The fruit is a small round capsule. It is brown and splits into 4 sections. The seeds are angular and 3 mm across.

Leaves 1·2–6·7 x 0·5–2·7 cm., elliptic, obovate to oblanceolate, acute at the apex, sometimes mucronulate, narrowed into a short petiole, pinnately nerved, submembranous.

Evergreen shrub or small tree 2–7 m. high, glabrous, with the young branches 4-angular and the old ones terete, rigid and often spinescent.

Flowers whitish, scented; pedicels 2–4 mm. long; bracts 0·4–0·7 mm. long, linear, caducous.

Calyx-tube 1–1·7 mm. high, with the lobes 2–3 mm. long, ovate-triangular.

Petals 1·5–2·5 mm. long, slightly clawed, yellowish.

Stamens with the filaments c. 5 mm. long.

Flowers creamy-white, sweet scented

Panicles 5–25 cm. long.

Fruits 4–6 x 4·5–8 mm.

Seeds 2–2·6 mm. long.

Style c. 3 mm. long.

Life form	perennial
Growth form	shrub
Growth support	free-standing
Foliage retention	evergreen
Sexuality	hermaphrodite
Pollination	-
Spread	-
Mature width (meter)	-
Mature height (meter)	2.75 - 7.0
Root system	-
Rooting depth (meter)	1.5
Root diameter (meter)	-
Flower color
Blooming months	-
Fruit color
Fruiting months	-
Nitrogen fixer	-
Photosynthetic pathway	-

Environment

Dry, coastal secondary scrub wasteland. Naturalized plants are often found in temporarily flooded river beds and riverine thickets, but also on hillsides and in rock crevices, at elevations up to 1,350 metres.

More

It is a tropical plant. It grows in the Sahel area in West Africa. It can grow in arid places. It tends to grow near water courses in semi-arid regions. At MARDI.

Light
Soil humidity
Soil texture
Soil acidity
Soil nutriment	-
Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

Widely cultivated as a dye-plant (Henna).

Uses	animal food bee plant dye environmental use essential oil fiber food fuel invertebrate food material medicinal ornamental poison social use timber vertebrate poison wood
Edible	leaves
Therapeutic use	Antifungal agents (bark), Anti-inflammatory agents (bark), Calculi (bark), Hepatomegaly (bark), Jaundice (bark), Leprosy (bark), Liver diseases (bark), Skin diseases (bark), Splenomegaly (bark), Hair loss (flower), Antipyretics (flower), Cardiotonic agents (flower), Dementia (flower), Diabetes mellitus (flower), Fever (flower), Headache (flower), Heart diseases (flower), Leprosy (flower), Pain (flower), Sleep aids, pharmaceutical (flower), Sleep initiation and maintenance disorders (flower), Cooling effect on body (flower), Antioxidants (fruit), Whitlows (leaf), Fissure (leaf), Immunostimulant (leaf), Hair loss (leaf), Amenorrhea (leaf), Analgesics (leaf), Anemia (leaf), Anti-bacterial agents (leaf), Anticoagulants (leaf), Antifungal agents (leaf), Anti-inflammatory agents (leaf), Antipyretics (leaf), Antirheumatic agents (leaf), Astringents (leaf), Blister (leaf), Bronchitis (leaf), Burns (leaf), Central nervous system diseases (leaf), Contraceptive agents (leaf), Contraceptives, oral (leaf), Contusions (leaf), Cough (leaf), Diarrhea (leaf), Diuretics (leaf), Dysentery (leaf), Dysmenorrhea (leaf), Dysuria (leaf), Edema (leaf), Disorder of ejaculation (leaf), Emetics (leaf), Endophthalmitis (leaf), Epilepsy (leaf), Expectorants (leaf), Eye diseases (leaf), Female urogenital diseases (leaf), Fever (leaf), Furunculosis (leaf), Gastrointestinal hemorrhage (leaf), Gonorrhea (leaf), Hair diseases (leaf), Headache (leaf), Heart diseases (leaf), Hematinics (leaf), Hematologic diseases (leaf), Hemoptysis (leaf), Hemorrhage (leaf), Hemostatics (leaf), Herpes simplex (leaf), Impetigo (leaf), Inflammation (leaf), Jaundice (leaf), Kidney diseases (leaf), Leprosy (leaf), Leukorrhea (leaf), Liver diseases (leaf), Low back pain (leaf), Lung diseases (leaf), Menorrhagia (leaf), Migraine disorders (leaf), Molluscacides (leaf), Oral ulcer (leaf), Pain (leaf), Parasympatholytics (leaf), Pharyngitis (leaf), Pruritus (leaf), General tonic for rejuvenation (leaf), Scabies (leaf), Scurvy (leaf), Skin diseases (leaf), Sleep aids, pharmaceutical (leaf), Smallpox (leaf), Splenic diseases (leaf), Sprains and strains (leaf), Stomatitis (leaf), Sunburn (leaf), Hydrocele (leaf), Tinea pedis (leaf), Tuberculosis (leaf), Ulcer (leaf), Urination disorders (leaf), Vaginal discharge (leaf), Vertigo (leaf), Vitiligo (leaf), Wound healing (leaf), Wounds and injuries (leaf), Abortifacient agents (root), Hair loss (root), Amenorrhea (root), Anti-inflammatory agents (root), Astringents (root), Calculi (root), Constipation (root), Contraceptive agents (root), Diarrhea (root), Diuretics (root), Dysmenorrhea (root), Hair diseases (root), Hemorrhoids (root), Hepatomegaly (root), Hypnotics and sedatives (root), Jaundice (root), Kidney calculi (root), Leprosy (root), Leukorrhea (root), Menstruation-inducing agents (root), Pain (root), General tonic for rejuvenation (root), Skin diseases (root), Snake bites (root), Splenomegaly (root), Thirst (root), Urinary calculi (root), Urination disorders (root), Hair loss (seed), Anti-bacterial agents (seed), Antifungal agents (seed), Antineoplastic agents (seed), Antipyretics (seed), Brain diseases (seed), Contraceptive agents (seed), Dementia (seed), Diarrhea (seed), Dysentery (seed), Disorder of ejaculation (seed), Fever (seed), Headache (seed), Hiccup (seed), Jaundice (seed), Leprosy (seed), Leukorrhea (seed), Menorrhagia (seed), Mental disorders (seed), Stomach diseases (seed), Urination disorders (seed), Vaginal discharge (seed), Leprosy (shoot), Dental caries (stem), Headache (unspecified), Ache(Stomach) (unspecified), Alterative (unspecified), Astringent (unspecified), Bactericide (unspecified), Boil (unspecified), Bruise (unspecified), Burn (unspecified), Cosmetic (unspecified), Deodorant (unspecified), Dermatosis (unspecified), Emmenagogue (unspecified), Fungicide (unspecified), Hair-Dye (unspecified), Herpes (unspecified), Hysteria (unspecified), Inflammation (unspecified), Jaundice (unspecified), Leprosy (unspecified), Leucorrhea (unspecified), Myalgia (unspecified), Onychosis (unspecified), Ophthalmia (unspecified), Poison (unspecified), Poultice (unspecified), Purgative (unspecified), Sedative (unspecified), Skin (unspecified), Sore(Throat) (unspecified), Vermifuge (unspecified), Candida (unspecified), Condyloma (unspecified), Rheumatism (unspecified), Bechic (unspecified), Circumscission (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Parturition (unspecified), Sore (unspecified), Venereal (unspecified), Whitlow (unspecified), Burning-feet (unspecified), Hoarseness (unspecified), Tumor (unspecified), Anti-bacterial agents (unspecified), Antirheumatic agents (unspecified), Antitubercular agents (unspecified), Antiviral agents (unspecified), Astringents (unspecified), Burns (unspecified), Calculi (unspecified), Contusions (unspecified), Cough (unspecified), Diarrhea (unspecified), Disorder of ejaculation (unspecified), Foot ulcer (unspecified), Hepatomegaly (unspecified), Lipid peroxidation (unspecified), Liver diseases (unspecified), Oral ulcer (unspecified), Pain (unspecified), Skin diseases (unspecified), Splenic diseases (unspecified), Sprains and strains (unspecified), Anti-bacterial agents (whole plant), Antifungal agents (whole plant), Anti-infective agents (whole plant), Anti-infective agents, local (whole plant), Astringents (whole plant), Burns (whole plant), Contraceptive agents (whole plant), Contusions (whole plant), Furunculosis (whole plant), Headache (whole plant), Hemorrhage (whole plant), Inflammation (whole plant), Myalgia (whole plant), Oral ulcer (whole plant), Oxytocics (whole plant), Parasympatholytics (whole plant), Skin diseases, infectious (whole plant), Sprains and strains (whole plant), Ulcer (whole plant), Wounds and injuries (whole plant)
Human toxicity	-
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds or cuttings.

Mode	cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days)	-
Germination temperacture (C°)	-
Germination luminosity	-
Germination treatment	-
Minimum temperature (C°)	-
Optimum temperature (C°)	19 - 27
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-

Images

Habit

Lawsonia inermis habit picture by ùxмάή ¢hðhåñ (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Lawsonia inermis leaf picture by Jagadeesh G (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Lawsonia inermis flower picture by Denis Bastianelli (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Lawsonia inermis fruit picture by Charlotte Thomas (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Conservation status

Identifiers

LSID	urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:141175-3
WFO ID	wfo-0000366658
COL ID	3SNTF
BDTFX ID	-
INPN ID	630015
Wikipedia (EN)	Link
Wikipedia (FR)	Link

Synonyms

Lawsonia alba Alcanna spinosa Lawsonia purpurea Lawsonia spinosa Casearia multiflora Lawsonia coccinea Rotantha combretoides Lawsonia speciosa Lawsonia falcifolia Lawsonia inermis var. spinosa Lawsonia alba var. flavescens Lawsonia alba var. miniata Lawsonia inermis

WorldFloraDB 2024

Lawsonia inermis L.

Henna (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Myrtales > Lythraceae > Lawsonia