Plants of Madhya Pradesh

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. 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… पेठा पेठा Benincasa hispida The big white-waxed gourd of the south, stored for months after harvest. अशोक अशोक Saraca asoca Orange flower clusters straight off the trunk — a sacred tree, now threatened. 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. 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. सांवा सांवा Echinochloa frumentacea A hill millet that tolerates waterlogging better than any other grain. 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. भूमि आमला भूमि आमला Phyllanthus niruri A tiny monsoon herb that appears in every wet pot, with fruit strung under the leaf. उड़द उड़द Vigna mungo A short monsoon pulse, sown between crops as much as for the dal. लौकी लौकी Lagenaria siceraria A monsoon climber that will roof a terrace in eight weeks given a frame. बैंगन बैंगन Solanum melongena A long-season crop that rewards a big pot and steady feeding. 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. चना चना Cicer arietinum A winter pulse that also gives the sour green leaf of the north. 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. देशी कपास देशी कपास Gossypium arboreum Desi cotton — the indigenous species, hardier than the imported kinds. लोबिया लोबिया Vigna unguiculata Pods, beans and green manure from one undemanding monsoon plant. सफेद आक सफेद आक Calotropis procera The desert milkweed, smaller than gigantea and even tougher. कढ़ी पत्ता कढ़ी पत्ता Murraya koenigii A small tree that lives happily in a deep pot and gives leaves all year. जंगली कढ़ी जंगली कढ़ी Murraya gleneii A wild relative of the curry leaf from peninsular scrub forest. सीताफल सीताफल Annona squamosa A small deccan tree that fruits on very little water and poor soil. खजूर खजूर Phoenix sylvestris The wild date of the plains, tapped for gur and fruiting freely. सहजन सहजन Moringa oleifera The fastest useful tree there is — 3 m in a year, edible leaves and pods. जिमीकंद जिमीकंद Amorphophallus paeoniifolius One corm fills a large pot and returns a much bigger one in a year. सौंफ सौंफ Foeniculum vulgare Feathery winter foliage, then umbels that hoverflies and small wasps work all day. सेम सेम Lablab purpureus The winter sem of the plains, purple-flowered and heavy-cropping on a fence. अंजीर अंजीर Ficus carica Two crops a year in the west, and content in a large container. रागी रागी Eleusine coracana A tough small-grained millet of the southern and Himalayan hills.