Lawsonia inermis

Growing Henna somewhere in your garden will give you ample conversation material for garden club tours and the like. It will also fill the air with its delicious fragrance. Mentioned in the Song of Soloman (as Camphire), Henna has been used in perfumes since around 1500 BC and is currently grown commercially in several African Countries, India, Pakistan and Iran. Henna is also well-known for the dye its leaves produce, used for coloring hair, darkening fingernails and temporary body art which can stay in the skin for a month or more. It is approved for use as a hair dye. This desert oasis plant tolerates extreme heat and drought and grows as a shrub or small tree, reaching up to 20′ where hardy. The flowers, describes as the most fragrant on earth, are white with pink tones, and produced throughout the summer.