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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Roselle Leafमेस्ताHibiscus sabdariffa var.The sour leaf of Assam and Manipur, cooked with fish and pork.
Assam Lemonकागजी नेमुCitrus limon var.The thin-skinned Assam lemon, fragrant enough to scent a whole kitchen.Job’s TearsगुरलुCoix lacryma-jobiHard glossy grain used as food, as beads and as a brewing grain in the 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.Rose Appleगुलाब जामुनSyzygium jambosPale crisp fruit that smells of rose water, on a small spreading evergreen.Areca PalmसुपारीAreca catechuThe slender betel-nut palm of the wet coasts, grown in dense shaded gardens.Naga King Chilliराजा मिर्चCapsicum frutescensSmall upright fruit on a woody perennial that crops for years in the hills.Water Spinachकलमी सागIpomoea aquaticaGrows on water or wet mud and crops every fortnight through the monsoon.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.Wild Mangoवन आमMangifera sylvaticaThe forest ancestor of the orchard mango, still fruiting in eastern hill forest.Bay Leaf Treeतेजपत्ताCinnamomum tamalaThe tejpatta of the sub-Himalayan tract — three-veined leaves, straight off the tree.Wild Date PalmखजूरPhoenix sylvestrisThe sap palm of Bengal and the Deccan, tapped in winter for nolen gur.Indian Water FernअजोलाAzolla pinnataA floating fern that fixes nitrogen — fertiliser and fodder that grows itself.Water Chestnutसिंघाड़ाTrapa natansSinghara — a floating annual grown in ponds and tanks across the north and east.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.