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Explore Plants

Indian plants documented for the way people actually garden — filter by what you want the plant to do, the space you have, the month you can sow and the region you are in. The result count below is live.

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Use the filters on the plant archive to narrow by goal, growing space and season. Every record carries a Hindi name, a botanical name, a care note and the months in which to sow.

Roselle Leaf (मेस्ता), Hibiscus sabdariffa var.Proso MilletचीनाPanicum miliaceumA short-season millet of the northern hills, sown when the season has been lost.Roselle Leaf (मेस्ता), Hibiscus sabdariffa var.RiceधानOryza sativaHalf the country’s calories — and a bucket of it on a terrace teaches more than any book.Roselle Leaf (मेस्ता), Hibiscus sabdariffa var.Water Spinachकलमी सागIpomoea aquaticaGrows on water or wet mud and crops every fortnight through the monsoon.Roselle Leaf (मेस्ता), Hibiscus sabdariffa var.Water Cressजलकुंभी सागNasturtium officinaleA peppery salad green for a shady tray of running or frequently changed water.Roselle Leaf (मेस्ता), Hibiscus sabdariffa var.Sacred Lotus Stemकमल ककड़ीNelumbo nucifera (rhizome)The same lotus, grown in deep mud for the crisp rhizome of the Kashmiri kitchen.Roselle Leaf (मेस्ता), Hibiscus sabdariffa var.TaroअरबीColocasia esculentaBig heart leaves on a wet corner; the corm below and the leaf above both go to the…Assam Lemon (कागजी नेमु), Citrus limon var.Lasodaलसोड़ाCordia myxaSticky green fruit for the Rajasthani pickle jar, on a tough small tree.Resurrection Fern (संजीवनी), Selaginella bryopterisWater Chestnutसिंघाड़ाTrapa natansSinghara — a floating annual grown in ponds and tanks across the north and east.Foxtail Orchid (द्रौपदी माला), Rhynchostylis retusaMakhanaमखानाEuryale feroxBihar’s pond crop — prickly floating leaves and the popped seed of fasting food.Resurrection Fern (संजीवनी), Selaginella bryopterisIndian Water FernअजोलाAzolla pinnataA floating fern that fixes nitrogen — fertiliser and fodder that grows itself.Ram Tulsi (राम तुलसी), Ocimum basilicumRam Tulsiराम तुलसीOcimum basilicumSweet basil — indigenous cultivation across India long before its pizza career.Ram Tulsi (राम तुलसी), Ocimum basilicumSabjaसब्जाOcimum basilicum (seed type)Grown for the seed that swells in falooda and summer sherbets.Roselle Leaf (मेस्ता), Hibiscus sabdariffa var.KachriकाचरीCucumis callosusA wild desert melon of Rajasthan, dried and powdered as a souring agent.Assam Lemon (कागजी नेमु), Citrus limon var.SangriसांगरीProsopis cineraria (pods)The pod of the khejri — the vegetable that carries the Thar through summer.Foxtail Orchid (द्रौपदी माला), Rhynchostylis retusaKerकेरCapparis deciduaA leafless thorny desert shrub with scarlet flowers and pickling berries.Assam Lemon (कागजी नेमु), Citrus limon var.GundaगूंदाCordia myxaLasoda — sticky green fruit pickled across Rajasthan and Gujarat.

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Answer three questions on the home page — your region, your space and your goal — and we will name two plants to sow this month.

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How the library is organised

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By regionEach entry notes where the plant grows well across India, from the Gangetic plain to coastal soils.
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By seasonSowing windows for every month, so you never plant a winter green in May.
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By spaceWindowsill, balcony, terrace or ground — filtered so you only see what will survive with you.
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Checked by a botanistNames and facts are reviewed before publication; traditional uses are labelled as traditional.