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.
54 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
Malabar Glory LilyकलिहारीGloriosa superbaFlame-red reflexed petals on a climbing lily — the state flower of Tamil Nadu.
Lemon Grass Palmarosaरोशा घासCymbopogon martiniiThe palmarosa of the Deccan, distilled for a rose-scented oil.
Nut GrassनागरमोथाCyperus rotundusThe world’s most stubborn weed, and an aromatic tuber used for centuries.
Indian Screw Treeमरोड़फलीHelicteres isoraTwisted screw-shaped pods on a scrub shrub of the dry deciduous forest.
Malabar NutअडूसाJusticia beddomeiThe southern vasaka — a shade-tolerant shrub with white hooded flowers.
SandalwoodचंदनSantalum albumThe scented heartwood tree of the southern Deccan — a hemiparasite that needs a host.
Ashoka Treeसीता अशोकSaraca asocaThe true ashoka — orange flower clusters on a small shade-loving tree of wet forest.
Neem-leaf Chaste Treeनिर्गुंडीVitex negundoA scrambling roadside shrub with palmate leaves and small blue flower spikes.
Ram Tulsiराम तुलसीOcimum basilicumSweet basil — indigenous cultivation across India long before its pizza career.
ShikakaiशिकाकाईSenegalia rugataA thorny southern climber whose pods have washed hair for centuries.
KaranjकरंजMillettia pinnataGlossy-leaved and salt-tolerant, with seed oil once used in every lamp.
Indian GooseberryआमलाPhyllanthus emblicaFeathery-leaved and drought-hardy; one grafted tree feeds a household in winter.
Tamarind PlumकोकमGarcinia indicaThe kokum of the Konkan — a slim tree with fruit that makes the summer drink.
LimeनींबूCitrus aurantiifoliaKagzi lime — the single most useful pot tree for an Indian household.
BarleriaकटसरैयाBarleria prionitisA spiny yellow-flowered shrub of dry scrub, unbothered by heat or thin soil.
PapayaपपीताCarica papayaFruit inside a year from seed — the fastest fruit a household can grow.
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