Regions: Islands & the coast

A dark-stemmed shrub of the wet coasts with traditional joint-pain uses.

An enormous umbrella crown of ferny leaves that folds shut before rain.

Malabar tamarind — the sour rind of Konkan and Kerala cooking.

The pioneer mangrove of Indian coasts, first to colonise new mud.

The tree the Sundarbans is named for, now under pressure from rising salinity.

A creeping tidal palm of eastern deltas, roofing houses and sweetening sap.

A stilt-rooted coastal pandan that holds sand against the sea.

The coastal shelterbelt tree of the east and south — fast and salt-proof.

Tamil Nadu’s state tree — sap, fruit, leaf and timber from one palm.

Fishtail palm of the Ghats and the north-east, tapped for sap and sago.