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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Maidenhair FernहंसराजAdiantum philippenseFan-shaped leaflets on black wiry stalks — the fern of a shaded bathroom window.
Bay Leaf Treeतेजपत्ताCinnamomum tamalaThe tejpatta of the sub-Himalayan tract — three-veined leaves, straight off the tree.
Malabar Nut FlowerअडूसाJusticia gendarussaA dark-stemmed shrub of the wet coasts with traditional joint-pain uses.Ashoka Treeसीता अशोकSaraca asocaThe true ashoka — orange flower clusters on a small shade-loving tree of wet forest.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.Lemon Grass Wildजंगली लेमन घासCymbopogon flexuosusEast Indian lemongrass, distilled in the north-east for citral oil.Long PepperपिपलीPiper longumA creeping pepper of the eastern and southern forests, with catkin-like spikes.Ginger Lilyकपूर कचरीHedychium spicatumA Himalayan ginger relative with scented white flowers and aromatic rhizomes.
MakoyमकोयSolanum nigrumThe black nightshade of monsoon fields — a leafy green in the east, a weed elsewhere.ChirataचिरायताSwertia chirayitaAn intensely bitter Himalayan herb of mid-altitude meadows, slow and particular.Indian ValerianतगरValeriana jatamansiA hill herb of stream banks with aromatic roots and heads of small white flowers.BhringrajभृंगराजEclipta prostrataA low monsoon weed of wet ground, gathered for hair oil for as long as anyone remembers.Turmericहल्दीCurcuma longaPlant a knob of market haldi in June; harvest your own in February.GingerअदरकZingiber officinaleThe same trick as turmeric, in slightly more shade and slightly less time.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.