Scarlet Ixora very common Indian shrub.
THIS very common Indian shrub, known in so many parts of the world, has a history which dates back to thousands of year In the Song of Solomon we read : “My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.” Mrs. Temple in her Flowers & Gardens tells us : “This camphire or hennah, is Pliny’s ‘Cypress of Egypt’,” and the women of Egypt and other Eastern countries stain not only the palms of their hands and the soles of their feet with a paste of hennah leaves but also the tips ot their fingers, the nails and knuckles, from which custom probably arises the designation of Aurora as “rosy” or “rosy fingered.” Mummies have been found with hennahed nails and up to the present time Egyptian women consider it almost indecent to be seen without their nails dyed. The powdered leaves are beaten up with catechu paste and the dye will endure for three of four weeks. It is a popular form of embellishment among Indian women and many men from the North like to give their hair and beards a copper tint and even gharry horses, particularly grey ones, are adorned with flamboyant, red manes and tails; or worse—large spots like a rocking horse. Skins and leather, too, can be dyed with hennah, but as the plant contains no tannin the colour is not permanent.
Size: 6048px × 4032px
Location: Arpora, Goa, India
Photo credit: © Alan Gillam / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: goa, india, ixora, rubiaceae, scarlet, tropical
