Regions: North India

The third triphala fruit, from a broad-crowned tree of dry deciduous forest.

A white-rooted asparagus of the north-western hills, grown on terraces and bunds.

A dry-hill root used to colour oil a deep red; slight above ground, tough below.

Near-indestructible succulent for a bright sill; water only when the soil is dry through.

A prickly low solanum of wasteland, with violet flowers bumblebees buzz-pollinate.

The black nightshade of monsoon fields — a leafy green in the east, a weed elsewhere.

A tiny monsoon herb that appears in every wet pot, with fruit strung under the leaf.

Camphor basil — a big grey-green bush that fills a terrace with scent.

Plant a knob of market haldi in June; harvest your own in February.

A marginal water plant for a tub, aromatic-rooted and steady for years.