Goals: biodiversity

A wild relative of the curry leaf from peninsular scrub forest.

A big orange-flowered climber of central forest, dramatic on a strong pergola.

The pioneer mangrove of Indian coasts, first to colonise new mud.

The tree the Sundarbans is named for, now under pressure from rising salinity.

A creeping tidal palm of eastern deltas, roofing houses and sweetening sap.

A stilt-rooted coastal pandan that holds sand against the sea.

The coastal shelterbelt tree of the east and south — fast and salt-proof.

Tamil Nadu’s state tree — sap, fruit, leaf and timber from one palm.

The wild date of the plains, tapped for gur and fruiting freely.

Fishtail palm of the Ghats and the north-east, tapped for sap and sago.