Plants of Haryana

आँकड़ा आँकड़ा Leptadenia pyrotechnica A leafless broom-like desert shrub that fixes sand and feeds camels. अजवाइन अजवाइन Trachyspermum ammi A winter annual of the north-west, grown for the thyme-scented seed. अजवाइन पत्ता अजवाइन पत्ता Plectranthus amboinicus Thick scented leaves on a succulent stem; one plant fills a windowsill pot for years. अमलतास अमलतास Cassia fistula Yellow chandeliers in May, when the city most needs something to look at. चौलाई चौलाई Amaranthus tricolor The monsoon green that grows itself — heat-proof, rain-proof, ready in a month. रामदाना रामदाना Amaranthus cruentus Grown for seed rather than leaf; magenta heads over the whole monsoon. आमला आमला Phyllanthus emblica Feathery-leaved and drought-hardy; one grafted tree feeds a household through winter. खुबानी खुबानी Prunus armeniaca Ladakh and Himachal fruit — blossom in March, fruit in June, dried for winter. मोगरा मोगरा Jasminum sambac A pot by an open window does more for a summer evening than any air freshener. अर्जुन अर्जुन Terminalia arjuna A riverbank giant with pale bark — a campus or park tree, not a pot. अर्जुन अर्जुन Terminalia arjuna A riverbank giant with pale bark — a tree for a campus or a colony park, not a… अश्वगंधा अश्वगंधा Withania somnifera Drought-tolerant root herb for a hot sunny corner; needs almost nothing once established. बबूल बबूल Vachellia nilotica Thorny, nitrogen-fixing and useful on land nobody else will plant. बेल बेल Aegle marmelos A slow, tough native tree for a hot courtyard, with fruit that makes the summer sherbet. बहेड़ा बहेड़ा Terminalia bellirica The third triphala fruit, from a broad-crowned tree of dry deciduous forest. गुलमेहंदी गुलमेहंदी Impatiens balsamina A monsoon annual of verandah pots, with seed pods children cannot leave alone. कबान बांस कबान बांस Dendrocalamus strictus The dry-country bamboo of central India, solid-stemmed and drought-hardy. बरगद बरगद Ficus benghalensis The tree that becomes a grove; only for parks, campuses and village greens. कटसरैया कटसरैया Barleria prionitis A spiny yellow-flowered shrub of dry scrub, unbothered by heat or thin soil. बथुआ बथुआ Chenopodium album The winter weed worth sowing — mineral-rich leaves through the cold months. चुकंदर चुकंदर Beta vulgaris Roots below, usable leaves above, and it tolerates a container better than carrot. बेर बेर Ziziphus mauritiana The fruit of the dry west, cropping where irrigation is impossible. भृंगराज भृंगराज Eclipta prostrata A low monsoon weed of wet ground, gathered for hair oil for as long as anyone remembers. भूमि आमला भूमि आमला Phyllanthus niruri A tiny monsoon herb that appears in every wet pot, with fruit strung under the leaf. करेला करेला Momordica charantia A tough climber that fruits through the worst humidity of the year. उड़द उड़द Vigna mungo A short monsoon pulse, sown between crops as much as for the dal. चील चील Callistemon citrinus Red brushes of stamens on drooping branches; a hardy naturalised garden tree. लौकी लौकी Lagenaria siceraria A monsoon climber that will roof a terrace in eight weeks given a frame. बोगनवेलिया बोगनवेलिया Bougainvillea glabra Thrives on being ignored — the more you neglect it, the harder it flowers. ब्राह्मी ब्राह्मी Bacopa monnieri A creeping marsh herb happy in a wide bowl of wet soil — the one plant you cannot… बैंगन बैंगन Solanum melongena A long-season crop that rewards a big pot and steady feeding. कुट्टू कुट्टू Fagopyrum esculentum A Himalayan pseudo-grain that flowers white and feeds every bee for miles. गाजर गाजर Daucus carota Needs depth more than width — a 30 cm trough of loose soil beats a wide bed. पटेरा पटेरा Typha angustifolia Brown flower spikes over strap leaves; the reed that cleans a village pond. चमेली चमेली Jasminum grandiflorum The Spanish jasmine of the perfume trade, grown widely in the north and west. चम्पा चम्पा Plumeria rubra Grows from a bare cutting pushed into dry soil; scents a whole terrace. चिउरा चिउरा Aesandra butyracea The Himalayan butter tree, giving cooking fat and an enormous honey flow. चना चना Cicer arietinum A winter pulse that also gives the sour green leaf of the north. टोपी फूल टोपी फूल Holmskioldia sanguinea A sub-Himalayan scrambler with brick-red bracts through the cool months. गुड़हल गुड़हल Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Flowers nearly all year in a warm city, and sunbirds find it within a week. चीड़ चीड़ Pinus roxburghii The resin pine of the lower Himalaya, and the needle litter that makes those fires. अपराजिता अपराजिता Clitoria ternatea Blue butterfly pea — a light climber that fixes nitrogen and makes blue tea. ग्वार फली ग्वार फली Cyamopsis tetragonoloba Drought-hardy bean of the west — fixes nitrogen and crops where little else will. गूलर गूलर Ficus racemosa Figs in bunches straight off the trunk, feeding birds, bats and monkeys. लाल मुर्गा लाल मुर्गा Celosia argentea Velvet crested heads that hold colour for weeks, in sun or half shade. नरकुल नरकुल Phragmites karka The tall reed of Indian riverbanks, and the standard plant for a reed-bed filter. कुंद कुंद Jasminum multiflorum A soft-haired jasmine that flowers through the cool months on a low wall. धनिया धनिया Coriandrum sativum Bolts in heat, thrives in the cool months. Sow every fortnight for a steady supply.