Regions: south

A shrubby pulse that stands two years, fixes nitrogen and shelters small birds.

A short monsoon pulse, sown between crops as much as for the dal.

Sixty days from sowing to dal, and sproutable on a kitchen shelf.

Palmarosa — a scented grass of the central hills, distilled for its rose-like oil.

A sedge most people fight as a weed, though its tuber is an old perfume material.

A thick-leaved climbing spinach that thrives in the worst of the monsoon heat.

Ridged monsoon gourd, quick to climb and quicker to over-mature.

A tough climber that fruits through the worst humidity of the year.

The big white-waxed gourd of the south, stored for months after harvest.

Sprawls generously and stores well; the leaves and flowers are food too.