Plant library
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Tree Tomatoतमरिल्लोSolanum betaceumEgg-shaped tart fruit on a soft-wooded small tree of the eastern hills.Chow Chowइस्कुसSechium eduleThe squash that covers a whole roof in one season across the eastern hills.
Khasi Mandarinखासी संतराCitrus reticulataThe loose-skinned orange of the Khasi and Jaintia hills, ripe in December.Job’s TearsगुरलुCoix lacryma-jobiHard glossy grain used as food, as beads and as a brewing grain in the hills.Proso MilletचीनाPanicum miliaceumA short-season millet of the northern hills, sown when the season has been lost.
Large Cardamomबड़ी इलायचीAmomum subulatumThe smoked black cardamom of Sikkim, grown under alder shade.Water Cressजलकुंभी सागNasturtium officinaleA peppery salad green for a shady tray of running or frequently changed water.Sacred Lotus Stemकमल ककड़ीNelumbo nucifera (rhizome)The same lotus, grown in deep mud for the crisp rhizome of the Kashmiri kitchen.Wild Mangoवन आमMangifera sylvaticaThe forest ancestor of the orchard mango, still fruiting in eastern hill forest.Wild ApricotचुलीPrunus armeniacaThe chuli of Ladakh and Kinnaur — blossom in April, fruit and kernel oil by July.Bay Leaf Treeतेजपत्ताCinnamomum tamalaThe tejpatta of the sub-Himalayan tract — three-veined leaves, straight off the tree.Bamboo Shoot Speciesबांस करीलDendrocalamus hamiltoniiThe north-eastern shoot bamboo — fermented shoots are a regional staple.
Assam TeaचायCamellia sinensis var. assamicaThe tea of the Brahmaputra valley — one bush on a balcony is enough for a pot.Cardamom Largeबड़ी इलायचीAmomum subulatumBlack cardamom of Sikkim — deep shade under alder, at hill altitudes.PerillaसिलमPerilla frutescensSesame-like seeds used across the eastern Himalaya in chutney and oil.Sichuan PepperतिमूरZanthoxylum armatumTimur — the numbing hill pepper of the eastern Himalaya, on a thorny shrub.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.