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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Resurrection FernसंजीवनीSelaginella bryopterisThe sanjeevani of the rocks — curls up bone dry, then greens again in an hour of rain.
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.Silver Fernचांदी फर्नPityrogramma calomelanosA white-backed fern that colonises damp walls and cut slopes on its own.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.Wild Riceजंगली चावलOryza rufipogonThe wild ancestor of cultivated rice, still standing in eastern wetlands.RiceधानOryza sativaHalf the country’s calories — and a bucket of it on a terrace teaches more than any book.
Malabar Glory LilyकलिहारीGloriosa superbaFlame-red reflexed petals on a climbing lily — the state flower of Tamil Nadu.Muli Bambooमूली बांसMelocanna bacciferaThe bamboo that covers Mizoram, and whose mass flowering brings the rat floods.Golden Bambooपीला बांसBambusa vulgarisYellow culms striped green; the ornamental clumping bamboo of Indian gardens.Spear GrassसरकंडाSaccharum spontaneumSilver plumes across the riverbanks after the monsoon; the kans of the floodplain.Red Water Lilyरक्त कमलNymphaea rubraThe deep red night-flowering lily of eastern tanks and temple ponds.Water Spinachकलमी सागIpomoea aquaticaGrows on water or wet mud and crops every fortnight through the monsoon.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.