Botanical Name : Lawsonia inermis, Synonym Lawsonia alba Family : Lythraceae, The Pomegranate Family
Extents
Mehndi is grown in India, Sudan, Egypt, Middle east countries and countries of North Africa. This plant thrives well in hot and humid climate.
Plant Description
Mehndi is medium sized shrub that sometimes takes a tree like shape and growth. It has many angled branches with opposite sharp pointed leaves.
Mehndi Flowers are small, white or pink in color, fragrant and grow in large bunches at the top of the shrub.
Mehndi Fruit is pea sized, small and round. It has many seeds.
Cultivation of Mehndi
The propagation of Mehndi is done through stem cuttings. Cuttings of henna are planted in June when the monsoons are about to arrive. The plant requires good water and fertilizer supply to grow. It can withstand high temperatures. Leaves are plucked thrice a year - May-June, August-September and December-January. The quality of leaves is very high initially and deteriorates with every picking.
Processing of Mehndi
Premium quality mehndi leaves are selected, cleaned and dried in shade. If the leaves are very dry, the powder obtained would be fine and will give a stronger shade of mehndi. Impurities like roots, sand, dust, weeds etc. make the quality of the powder inferior. Quality is also affected if the leaves are powdered before they are completely dry.