Regions: South India

The souring fruit of Kerala fish curry, dried black and kept all year.

The Malabar nutmeg of swampy Ghats forest — a myristica swamp indicator species.

A small-fruited endemic jamun of the southern hills, cropping through the monsoon.

Long hanging chains of maroon and yellow flowers — the Mysore clock vine.

A tall wet-evergreen tree of the southern Ghats, red-flushed in new leaf.

The canopy tree that feeds the lion-tailed macaque; endemic to the southern Ghats.

The wild jack of Malabar — timber for boats and fruit for the monkeys.

Pale crisp fruit that smells of rose water, on a small spreading evergreen.

Big lobed leaves and starchy fruit; a coastal tree of Kerala and the islands.

The slender betel-nut palm of the wet coasts, grown in dense shaded gardens.