Regions: Central India

Desi cotton — the indigenous species, hardier than the imported kinds.

The dye plant of history, nitrogen-fixing and undemanding.

The mehndi hedge of the dry west — scented flowers and dye leaves.

A thorny southern climber whose pods have washed hair for centuries.

Khus — a grass whose roots hold a slope together and scent a summer room.

The gongura of Andhra kitchens — sour leaves and later, calyces for sherbet.

The dry-country bamboo of central India, solid-stemmed and drought-hardy.

Red February cups feeding every bird in the neighbourhood at once.

The tree that becomes a grove; only for parks, campuses and village greens.

Figs in bunches straight off the trunk, feeding birds, bats and monkeys.