Seasons: Monsoon

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.

The canopy tree that feeds the lion-tailed macaque; endemic to the southern Ghats.

The wild jack of Malabar — timber for boats and fruit for the monkeys.

The world’s most stubborn weed, and an aromatic tuber used for centuries.