Seasons: Monsoon

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

The loose-skinned orange of the Khasi and Jaintia hills, ripe in December.

A tuberous legume of Meghalaya, eaten raw and crisp with salt and mustard oil.

Hard glossy grain used as food, as beads and as a brewing grain in the hills.

The kodo of the Deccan and central hills — drought-proof and long-storing.

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

A rosette epiphyte that grows on a tree fork or a shaded wall bracket.

A white-backed fern that colonises damp walls and cut slopes on its own.

Fan-shaped leaflets on black wiry stalks — the fern of a shaded bathroom window.

The kopou phul of Assam — hanging foxtail sprays, and the flower of Bihu.