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.
52 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.Filters1 on
Bird’s Nest Fernपक्षी घोंसला फर्नAsplenium nidusA rosette epiphyte that grows on a tree fork or a shaded wall bracket.Black Pepper Vineकाली मिर्चPiper nigrumThe vine that made the Malabar coast; needs a tree to climb and constant humidity.
Ceylon Ironwoodपुन्नागMesua thwaitesiiA tall wet-evergreen tree of the southern Ghats, red-flushed in new leaf.Breadfruitसीमा कटहलArtocarpus altilisBig lobed leaves and starchy fruit; a coastal tree of Kerala and the islands.Areca PalmसुपारीAreca catechuThe slender betel-nut palm of the wet coasts, grown in dense shaded gardens.VanillaवनीलाVanilla planifoliaA climbing orchid that must be hand-pollinated flower by flower, at dawn.Giant Taroमान कचुAlocasia macrorrhizosEnormous upright leaves for a wet shaded corner — architecture rather than a crop.
Chinese Hibiscusगुड़हलHibiscus rosa-sinensisFlowers nearly all year in a warm city, and sunbirds find it within a week.Copper Podपीला गुलमोहरPeltophorum pterocarpumYellow flower spires and copper seed pods; the summer partner to the gulmohar.IronwoodनागकेसरMesua ferreaGlossy drooping new leaves in pink, then white flowers with a gold centre.Malabar Nut FlowerअडूसाJusticia gendarussaA dark-stemmed shrub of the wet coasts with traditional joint-pain uses.Rain Treeविलायती सिरसAlbizia samanAn enormous umbrella crown of ferny leaves that folds shut before rain.Kokum Butter TreeकोकमGarcinia gummi-guttaMalabar tamarind — the sour rind of Konkan and Kerala cooking.CasuarinaसरूCasuarina equisetifoliaThe coastal shelterbelt tree of the east and south — fast and salt-proof.Palmyra Palmताड़Borassus flabelliferTamil Nadu’s state tree — sap, fruit, leaf and timber from one palm.Toddy Palm FishtailमारीCaryota urensFishtail palm of the Ghats and the north-east, tapped for sap and sago.
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