Seasons: Monsoon

The shrub that turns the Nilgiri slopes blue once every twelve years, then dies.

The tree bean of Manipur — long flat pods with a pungent unmistakable smell.

Flame-red reflexed petals on a climbing lily — the state flower of Tamil Nadu.

The thick-rooted chive of Manipur, eaten root and leaf together.

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.

A small creeping marsh herb for the shallow edge of a tub pond.