Regions: North India

The sanjeevani of the rocks — curls up bone dry, then greens again in an hour of rain.

A short-season millet of the northern hills, sown when the season has been lost.

A floating rosette that shades a tub and starves the algae — but a weed if it escapes.

Half the country’s calories — and a bucket of it on a terrace teaches more than any book.

Grows on water or wet mud and crops every fortnight through the monsoon.

A peppery salad green for a shady tray of running or frequently changed water.

The same lotus, grown in deep mud for the crisp rhizome of the Kashmiri kitchen.

Big heart leaves on a wet corner; the corm below and the leaf above both go to the pot.

Spokes of leaf on a green stem — the marginal plant that makes a tub read as a pond.

The world’s most stubborn weed, and an aromatic tuber used for centuries.