202 
FLORA OF ADEN. 
The plant is only twice mentioned in the llible. The f Song v of 
Solomon ' compares the spouse to f a cluster of Cyprus in the vineyards 
of Engaddi' (Cant. I. 13), and addresses her with these words: 
“ Thy plants are a paradise of pomegranates with the fruits of the 
orchard, with Cyprus and spikenard (Cant. IV, 13). 
E. W. Lane gives an interesting description of the use of henna in 
Egypt: “ The! females of the higher and middle classes, and many 
of the poorer women, stain certain parts of their hands and feet (which 
are, with very few exceptions, beautifully formed) with the leaves of the 
henna-tree, which impart a yellowish-red, or deep-orange colour. Many 
thus dye only the nails of the fingers and toes; others extend the 
dye as high as the first joint of each finger and toe ; some also make a 
stripe along the next row of joints; and there are several other principal 
modes of applying the henna ; but the most common practice is to dye 
the tips of the fingers and toes as high as the first joint, and the whole 
of the inside of the hand and the sole of the foot ; adding, though not 
always, the stripe above mentioned along the middle joints of the fingers, 
and a similar stripe a little above the toes. The henna is prepared for 
this use merely by being powdered, and mixed with a little water, so as 
to form a paste. Some of this paste being spread in the palm of the 
hand, and on other parts of it which are to be dyed, and the fingers 
being doubled, and their extremities inserted into the paste in the palm, 
the whole hand is tightly bound with linen, and remains thus during 
the whole night. In a similar manner it is applied to the feet. The 
colour does not disappear until after many days : it is generally renewed 
after about a fortnight or three weeks. This custom prevails not only 
in Egypt, but in several other countries of the East, which are supplied 
with henna from the banks of the Nile. To the nails, the henna imparts 
a more bright, clear, and permanent colour than to the skin. When 
this dye alone is applied to the nails, or to a larger portion of the fingers 
and toes, it may, with some reason, be regarded as an embellishment ; 
for it makes the general complexion of the hand and foot appear more 
delicate ; but many ladies stain their hands in a manner much less 
agreeable to our taste : by applying, immediately after the removal of the 
paste of henna, another paste composed of quicklime, common smoke- 
black, and linseed-oil, they convert the tint of the henna to a black, or 
to a blackish-olive hue. Ladies in Egypt are often seen with their nails 
stained with this colour, or with their fingers of the same dark hue 
from the extremity to the first joint, red from the first to the second 
joint, and of the former colour from the second to the third joint ; with 
the palm also stained in a similar manner, having a broad, dark stripe 
across the middle, and the rest left red ; the thumb dark from the 
