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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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.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.Wood AppleकैथLimonia acidissimaA thorny slow tree of dry country with a hard-shelled sour fruit.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.