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.
18 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
Maidenhair FernहंसराजAdiantum philippenseFan-shaped leaflets on black wiry stalks — the fern of a shaded bathroom window.
Hill Gooseberryकिलमोड़ाBerberis asiaticaA thorny yellow-wooded Himalayan shrub with blue berries and traditional root use.
Bay Leaf Treeतेजपत्ताCinnamomum tamalaThe tejpatta of the sub-Himalayan tract — three-veined leaves, straight off the tree.Sichuan PepperतिमूरZanthoxylum armatumTimur — the numbing hill pepper of the eastern Himalaya, on a thorny shrub.Madderमंजिष्ठाRubia cordifoliaA scrambling hill plant whose root gives a lasting red dye.SoapnutरीठाSapindus mukorossiReetha — the washing fruit of the sub-Himalayan tract, from a good shade tree.Seabuckthornलेह बेरीHippophae rhamnoidesA cold-desert shrub of Ladakh, nitrogen-fixing and vitamin-dense.
GarlicलहसुनAllium sativumPlant single cloves in October and lift whole bulbs in March.Ginger Lilyकपूर कचरीHedychium spicatumA Himalayan ginger relative with scented white flowers and aromatic rhizomes.Haradहरड़Terminalia chebulaOne of the three fruits of triphala; a large deciduous tree of the sub-Himalayan tract.Shatavar VineसतावरAsparagus adscendensA white-rooted asparagus of the north-western hills, grown on terraces and bunds.RatanjotरतनजोतAlkanna tinctoriaA dry-hill root used to colour oil a deep red; slight above ground, tough below.ChirataचिरायताSwertia chirayitaAn intensely bitter Himalayan herb of mid-altitude meadows, slow and particular.Stone Flowerपत्थर फूलParmotrema perlatumThe lichen of the spice box — not planted, but a reason to keep old trees standing.Indian ValerianतगरValeriana jatamansiA hill herb of stream banks with aromatic roots and heads of small white flowers.KutkiकुटकीPicrorhiza kurroaA high-altitude Himalayan herb — only worth trying in the hills, and only from nursery stock.
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