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.
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.
108 plants match your filters Answer three questions on the home page — your region, your space and your goal — and we will name two plants to sow this month.Filters2 on
Chow Chowइस्कुसSechium eduleThe squash that covers a whole roof in one season across the eastern hills.Kodo MilletकोदोPaspalum scrobiculatumThe kodo of the Deccan and central hills — drought-proof and long-storing.RiceधानOryza sativaHalf the country’s calories — and a bucket of it on a terrace teaches more than any book.
Malabar TamarindकुडमपुलीGarcinia gummi-guttaThe souring fruit of Kerala fish curry, dried black and kept all year.Malabar Plumजामुन कोकमSyzygium caryophyllatumA small-fruited endemic jamun of the southern hills, cropping through the monsoon.Wild JackआयनीArtocarpus hirsutusThe wild jack of Malabar — timber for boats and fruit for the monkeys.Rose Appleगुलाब जामुनSyzygium jambosPale crisp fruit that smells of rose water, on a small spreading evergreen.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.TaroअरबीColocasia esculentaBig heart leaves on a wet corner; the corm below and the leaf above both go to the…Giant Taroमान कचुAlocasia macrorrhizosEnormous upright leaves for a wet shaded corner — architecture rather than a crop.Water Spinachकलमी सागIpomoea aquaticaGrows on water or wet mud and crops every fortnight through the monsoon.KokumकोकमGarcinia indicaA slender Western Ghats evergreen with purple fruit that souring curries depend on.Indian Gooseberry Treeआंवला वृक्षPhyllanthus indofischeriThe wild amla of the southern hills, smaller-fruited and tougher than the orchard kind.
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