Plant library
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Resurrection FernसंजीवनीSelaginella bryopterisThe sanjeevani of the rocks — curls up bone dry, then greens again in an hour of rain.
Kodo MilletकोदोPaspalum scrobiculatumThe kodo of the Deccan and central hills — drought-proof and long-storing.Proso MilletचीनाPanicum miliaceumA short-season millet of the northern hills, sown when the season has been lost.Sacred GrassकुशDesmostachya bipinnataThe kusha grass of ritual, holding sandy soil across the northern plains.Spear GrassसरकंडाSaccharum spontaneumSilver plumes across the riverbanks after the monsoon; the kans of the floodplain.Marvel Grassअंजन घासCenchrus ciliarisThe anjan of dry pasture — a fodder grass that greens the Thar within days of rain.CattailपटेराTypha angustifoliaBrown flower spikes over strap leaves; the reed that cleans a village pond.Common ReedनरकुलPhragmites karkaThe tall reed of Indian riverbanks, and the standard plant for a reed-bed filter.
Indian Screw Treeमरोड़फलीHelicteres isoraTwisted screw-shaped pods on a scrub shrub of the dry deciduous forest.
Lasodaलसोड़ाCordia myxaSticky green fruit for the Rajasthani pickle jar, on a tough small tree.Indian Jujube Shrubझड़बेरीZiziphus nummulariaThe thorny bush that holds the Thar together, browsed by everything and killed by nothing.Indian Gooseberry Treeआंवला वृक्षPhyllanthus indofischeriThe wild amla of the southern hills, smaller-fruited and tougher than the orchard kind.Wild Date PalmखजूरPhoenix sylvestrisThe sap palm of Bengal and the Deccan, tapped in winter for nolen gur.Sausage Treeबलम खीराKigelia africanaMaroon night flowers on long ropes, then metre-long fruit that alarms everybody.Indian Elmपापड़ीHoloptelea integrifoliaA tough dry-forest tree with papery winged seeds that blanket the ground in March.SandalwoodचंदनSantalum albumThe scented heartwood tree of the southern Deccan — a hemiparasite that needs a host.Not sure where to start?
Answer three questions on the home page — your region, your space and your goal — and we will name two plants to sow this month.
How the library is organised
By regionEach entry notes where the plant grows well across India, from the Gangetic plain to coastal soils.
By seasonSowing windows for every month, so you never plant a winter green in May.
By spaceWindowsill, balcony, terrace or ground — filtered so you only see what will survive with you.
Checked by a botanistNames and facts are reviewed before publication; traditional uses are labelled as traditional.