Almost 6 hours outside of Jaipur India in Rajasthan is one of the most significant growing areas of high quality henna in the world today.

Each field is tended by farmers whose families have grown henna for generations--as well as wheat and whatever else brings an income. The fields are planted on either side of the two lane highways, much like fields in the Southern US. No field that I have visited was commercially irrigated, fertilized, or rotated. Henna--having almost no blights or antagonistic insects--can flourish for many years. Some henna fields are reported to be in continuous yield for 100 years. The Henna Harvest in Rajasthan, India occurs twice each year, April-May and October-November.

Propagation is done by seeds and cuttings. The latter are shoved into holes packed over with cow and sometimes goat dung. The right amount of rain, wonderfully thick heat, I'm sure a few generations-old harvesting techniques and the extraordinary resilient characteristics of the henna plant itself create a good harvest. Everyone I've ever spoken to says the henna leaf, as long as it is properly dried and doesn't absorb moisture, will be vital for a year. Consequently, processors can well afford to play "supply and demand" to their advantage. Those of you who buy good staining henna in the Western Hemisphere summer are most likely getting crop from the preceding Oct/Nov. harvest in India. The henna harvest in April/May seems to be necessary only to prune/condition the plant for the more important winter harvest.

A glabrous, much branched shrub with greyish brown bark, shown just after the April/May harvest

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