Plant library
Explore Plants
Filter by what you want to grow, the space you have and the season you are in.
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Breadfruitसीमा कटहलArtocarpus altilisBig lobed leaves and starchy fruit; a coastal tree of Kerala and the islands.Areca PalmसुपारीAreca catechuThe slender betel-nut palm of the wet coasts, grown in dense shaded gardens.
VanillaवनीलाVanilla planifoliaA climbing orchid that must be hand-pollinated flower by flower, at dawn.Black Pepper Vineकाली मिर्चPiper nigrumThe vine that made the Malabar coast; needs a tree to climb and constant humidity.Giant Taroमान कचुAlocasia macrorrhizosEnormous upright leaves for a wet shaded corner — architecture rather than a crop.Kokum Butter TreeकोकमGarcinia gummi-guttaMalabar tamarind — the sour rind of Konkan and Kerala cooking.Nipa PalmगोलपाताNypa fruticansA creeping tidal palm of eastern deltas, roofing houses and sweetening sap.Palmyra Palmताड़Borassus flabelliferTamil Nadu’s state tree — sap, fruit, leaf and timber from one palm.Toddy Palm FishtailमारीCaryota urensFishtail palm of the Ghats and the north-east, tapped for sap and sago.Wild Bananaजंगली केलाMusa balbisianaThe wild banana of the north-east — seedy fruit, but flowers and stem are food.CinnamonदालचीनीCinnamomum verumCoppiced for its inner bark; the leaf is a spice in its own right.Black Pepperकाली मिर्चPiper nigrumThe vine that made the Malabar coast; needs a tree to climb and constant humidity.CloveलौंगSyzygium aromaticumA slow evergreen of the wet south-west, harvested as unopened flower buds.NutmegजायफलMyristica fragransTwo spices from one fruit — nutmeg and mace — on the wettest coasts.PomeloचकोतराCitrus maximaThe biggest citrus, tolerant of humidity and common in eastern gardens.
Kaffir Limeकागज़ी नीम्बूCitrus hystrixDouble-lobed aromatic leaves used across the north-east and the far south.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.