Regions: south

A low monsoon weed of wet ground, gathered for hair oil for as long as anyone remembers.

The dark-leaved tulsi, sharper in scent and a little slower to grow than the green.

The wild tulsi — taller, camphor-scented and perennial where winters are mild.

Thick scented leaves on a succulent stem; one plant fills a windowsill pot for years.

The pennywort of damp corners; spreads by runners and asks for shade and moisture.

A fine-leaved climber with tuberous roots, happiest scrambling up a partly shaded wall.

A small shady-forest shrub, historically important and now scarce in the wild.

The bitter herb of the monsoon — quick from seed and a reliable pot plant.

A cement tub of still water on a terrace becomes a dragonfly and frog habitat in one season.

Compact evergreen with flower heads butterflies work all morning.