Plant library
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Resurrection FernसंजीवनीSelaginella bryopterisThe sanjeevani of the rocks — curls up bone dry, then greens again in an hour of rain.
Proso MilletचीनाPanicum miliaceumA short-season millet of the northern hills, sown when the season has been lost.RiceधानOryza sativaHalf the country’s calories — and a bucket of it on a terrace teaches more than any book.Umbrella SedgeमोथाCyperus alternifoliusSpokes of leaf on a green stem — the marginal plant that makes a tub read as a…Nut GrassनागरमोथाCyperus rotundusThe world’s most stubborn weed, and an aromatic tuber used for centuries.CattailपटेराTypha angustifoliaBrown flower spikes over strap leaves; the reed that cleans a village pond.Common ReedनरकुलPhragmites karkaThe tall reed of Indian riverbanks, and the standard plant for a reed-bed filter.
RingalरिंगालDrepanostachyum falcatumThe slender hill bamboo of Uttarakhand, cut for baskets and matting.Golden Bambooपीला बांसBambusa vulgarisYellow culms striped green; the ornamental clumping bamboo of Indian gardens.Sacred GrassकुशDesmostachya bipinnataThe kusha grass of ritual, holding sandy soil across the northern plains.Spear GrassसरकंडाSaccharum spontaneumSilver plumes across the riverbanks after the monsoon; the kans of the floodplain.Marvel Grassअंजन घासCenchrus ciliarisThe anjan of dry pasture — a fodder grass that greens the Thar within days of rain.Water Spinachकलमी सागIpomoea aquaticaGrows on water or wet mud and crops every fortnight through the monsoon.Sacred Lotus Stemकमल ककड़ीNelumbo nucifera (rhizome)The same lotus, grown in deep mud for the crisp rhizome of the Kashmiri kitchen.TaroअरबीColocasia esculentaBig heart leaves on a wet corner; the corm below and the leaf above both go to the…
Aak Bushआँकड़ाLeptadenia pyrotechnicaA leafless broom-like desert shrub that fixes sand and feeds camels.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.