Plants of Lakshadweep

सुपारी सुपारी Areca catechu Slim palm of the wet south-west and north-east, grown in dense stands. सुपारी सुपारी Areca catechu The slender betel-nut palm of the wet coasts, grown in dense shaded gardens. केला केला Musa acuminata A single sucker in a corner gives shade, cooking leaves and, in time, fruit. बिलिम्बी बिलिम्बी Averrhoa bilimbi Sour fruit straight off the trunk, in constant supply on the wet coasts. पक्षी घोंसला फर्न पक्षी घोंसला फर्न Asplenium nidus A rosette epiphyte that grows on a tree fork or a shaded wall bracket. काली मिर्च काली मिर्च Piper nigrum The vine that made the Malabar coast; needs a tree to climb and constant humidity. काली मिर्च काली मिर्च Piper nigrum The vine that made the Malabar coast; needs a tree to climb and constant humidity. सीमा कटहल सीमा कटहल Artocarpus altilis Big lobed leaves and starchy fruit; a coastal tree of Kerala and the islands. काजू काजू Anacardium occidentale A coastal tree that fruits on poor laterite where almost nothing else does. सरू सरू Casuarina equisetifolia The coastal shelterbelt tree of the east and south — fast and salt-proof. पुन्नाग पुन्नाग Mesua thwaitesii A tall wet-evergreen tree of the southern Ghats, red-flushed in new leaf. चम्पा चम्पा Plumeria rubra Grows from a bare cutting pushed into dry soil; scents a whole terrace. गुड़हल गुड़हल Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Flowers nearly all year in a warm city, and sunbirds find it within a week. दालचीनी दालचीनी Cinnamomum verum Coppiced for its inner bark; the leaf is a spice in its own right. लौंग लौंग Syzygium aromaticum A slow evergreen of the wet south-west, harvested as unopened flower buds. नारियल नारियल Cocos nucifera The tree the coasts are built on — water, kernel, oil, thatch and shade. पीला गुलमोहर पीला गुलमोहर Peltophorum pterocarpum Yellow flower spires and copper seed pods; the summer partner to the gulmohar. अबोली अबोली Crossandra infundibuliformis The abolí of southern flower markets — orange fans, picked daily. गुलचीन गुलचीन Plumeria alba The white frangipani of temple gardens, tougher than the pink and just as scented. मान कचु मान कचु Alocasia macrorrhizos Enormous upright leaves for a wet shaded corner — architecture rather than a crop. अवीसीनिया अवीसीनिया Avicennia marina The pioneer mangrove of Indian coasts, first to colonise new mud. गुलमोहर गुलमोहर Delonix regia The flame tree of Indian summers; fast, spectacular and shallow-rooted. गुड़हल गुड़हल Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Flowers nearly all year in a warm city, and sunbirds find it within a week. बादाम बादाम Terminalia catappa Tiered branches and huge leaves that turn red before falling — a coastal shade tree. पंगारा पंगारा Erythrina variegata Scarlet flowers on bare branches in spring; grows from a stuck-in cutting. नागकेसर नागकेसर Mesua ferrea Glossy drooping new leaves in pink, then white flowers with a gold centre. रुग्मिनी रुग्मिनी Ixora coccinea Compact evergreen with flower heads butterflies work all morning. कटहल कटहल Artocarpus heterophyllus One tree feeds a street. Green for sabzi, ripe for the sweetest fruit there is. कागज़ी नीम्बू कागज़ी नीम्बू Citrus hystrix Double-lobed aromatic leaves used across the north-east and the far south. कोकम कोकम Garcinia gummi-gutta Malabar tamarind — the sour rind of Konkan and Kerala cooking. अडूसा अडूसा Justicia gendarussa A dark-stemmed shrub of the wet coasts with traditional joint-pain uses. कीरा कीरा Sonneratia caseolaris A Sundarbans mangrove with night flowers that bats pollinate. गोलपाता गोलपाता Nypa fruticans A creeping tidal palm of eastern deltas, roofing houses and sweetening sap. जायफल जायफल Myristica fragrans Two spices from one fruit — nutmeg and mace — on the wettest coasts. ताड़ ताड़ Borassus flabellifer Tamil Nadu’s state tree — sap, fruit, leaf and timber from one palm. पपीता पपीता Carica papaya Fruit inside a year from seed — the fastest fruit a household can grow. चकोतरा चकोतरा Citrus maxima The biggest citrus, tolerant of humidity and common in eastern gardens. विलायती सिरस विलायती सिरस Albizia saman An enormous umbrella crown of ferny leaves that folds shut before rain. बेंत बेंत Calamus tenuis The cane of eastern furniture — a spiny climbing palm of wet forest. चीकू चीकू Manilkara zapota Evergreen, wind-firm and cropping twice a year on the coasts. केतकी केतकी Pandanus tectorius A stilt-rooted coastal pandan that holds sand against the sea. केवड़ा केवड़ा Pandanus odorifer The kewda of Odisha — spiny leaves and a male flower distilled for scent. कमरख कमरख Averrhoa carambola Ribbed yellow fruit several times a year on a compact tree. सुंदरी सुंदरी Heritiera fomes The tree the Sundarbans is named for, now under pressure from rising salinity. कोकम कोकम Garcinia indica The kokum of the Konkan — a slim tree with fruit that makes the summer drink. कसावा कसावा Manihot esculenta The southern staple root — a stem cutting in June is a meal by March. मारी मारी Caryota urens Fishtail palm of the Ghats and the north-east, tapped for sap and sago. वनीला वनीला Vanilla planifolia A climbing orchid that must be hand-pollinated flower by flower, at dawn.