Regions: Islands & the coast

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

The cane of eastern furniture — a spiny climbing palm of wet forest.

The wild banana of the north-east — seedy fruit, but flowers and stem are food.

Two spices from one fruit — nutmeg and mace — on the wettest coasts.

Coppiced for its inner bark; the leaf is a spice in its own right.

The vine that made the Malabar coast; needs a tree to climb and constant humidity.

A slow evergreen of the wet south-west, harvested as unopened flower buds.

The biggest citrus, tolerant of humidity and common in eastern gardens.

Double-lobed aromatic leaves used across the north-east and the far south.

Tiered branches and huge leaves that turn red before falling — a coastal shade tree.