Plant library
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Khasi Mandarinखासी संतराCitrus reticulataThe loose-skinned orange of the Khasi and Jaintia hills, ripe in December.
Job’s TearsगुरलुCoix lacryma-jobiHard glossy grain used as food, as beads and as a brewing grain in the hills.Proso MilletचीनाPanicum miliaceumA short-season millet of the northern hills, sown when the season has been lost.
Maidenhair FernहंसराजAdiantum philippenseFan-shaped leaflets on black wiry stalks — the fern of a shaded bathroom window.
Lady’s Slipper Orchidलेडी स्लिपरPaphiopedilum insigneA pouched terrestrial orchid of the eastern Himalaya, cool-growing and slow.Blue Vandaनील ऑर्किडVanda coeruleaThe blue vanda of Meghalaya — tessellated flowers, and protected in the wild.DendrobiumसंचारीDendrobium nobileCane orchid of the eastern hills, flowering along last year’s bare canes.Tree Tomatoतमरिल्लोSolanum betaceumEgg-shaped tart fruit on a soft-wooded small tree of the eastern hills.Chow Chowइस्कुसSechium eduleThe squash that covers a whole roof in one season across the eastern hills.Lotus-leaf PennywortखुरखुरीHydrocotyle sibthorpioidesA tiny creeping mat for the wet edge of a tub — the softest possible ground cover.Large Cardamomबड़ी इलायचीAmomum subulatumThe smoked black cardamom of Sikkim, grown under alder shade.RingalरिंगालDrepanostachyum falcatumThe slender hill bamboo of Uttarakhand, cut for baskets and matting.Water Cressजलकुंभी सागNasturtium officinaleA peppery salad green for a shady tray of running or frequently changed water.Sacred Lotus Stemकमल ककड़ीNelumbo nucifera (rhizome)The same lotus, grown in deep mud for the crisp rhizome of the Kashmiri kitchen.Shoe Flower HedgeजपाHibiscus syriacusA hardier deciduous hibiscus for the hills, flowering through the monsoon.Indian Horse ChestnutपांगरAesculus indicaBig palmate leaves and white flower candles in the western Himalayan valleys.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.