Seasons: Monsoon

A stilt-rooted coastal pandan that holds sand against the sea.

The coastal shelterbelt tree of the east and south — fast and salt-proof.

Tamil Nadu’s state tree — sap, fruit, leaf and timber from one palm.

The wild date of the plains, tapped for gur and fruiting freely.

A scrambling hill plant whose root gives a lasting red dye.

Fishtail palm of the Ghats and the north-east, tapped for sap and sago.

The mehndi hedge of the dry west — scented flowers and dye leaves.

The cane of eastern furniture — a spiny climbing palm of wet forest.

Reetha — the washing fruit of the sub-Himalayan tract, from a good shade tree.

The wild banana of the north-east — seedy fruit, but flowers and stem are food.