Plants of Sikkim

उतीस उतीस Alnus nepalensis A nitrogen-fixing pioneer of Himalayan landslides and north-eastern jhum fallows. रामदाना रामदाना Amaranthus cruentus Grown for seed rather than leaf; magenta heads over the whole monsoon. खुबानी खुबानी Prunus armeniaca Ladakh and Himachal fruit — blossom in March, fruit in June, dried for winter. चाय चाय Camellia sinensis var. assamica The tea of the Brahmaputra valley — one bush on a balcony is enough for a pot. बांस करील बांस करील Dendrocalamus hamiltonii The north-eastern shoot bamboo — fermented shoots are a regional staple. सांवा सांवा Echinochloa frumentacea A hill millet that tolerates waterlogging better than any other grain. तेजपत्ता तेजपत्ता Cinnamomum tamala The tejpatta of the sub-Himalayan tract — three-veined leaves, straight off the tree. पइयां पइयां Prunus cornuta A Himalayan cherry with long fruit racemes that thrushes and bulbuls strip in weeks. कैल कैल Pinus wallichiana Long soft needles in fives; the pine of the mid-Himalayan slopes. नील ऑर्किड नील ऑर्किड Vanda coerulea The blue vanda of Meghalaya — tessellated flowers, and protected in the wild. चील चील Callistemon citrinus Red brushes of stamens on drooping branches; a hardy naturalised garden tree. कुट्टू कुट्टू Fagopyrum esculentum A Himalayan pseudo-grain that flowers white and feeds every bee for miles. बड़ी इलायची बड़ी इलायची Amomum subulatum Black cardamom of Sikkim — deep shade under alder, at hill altitudes. चिउरा चिउरा Aesandra butyracea The Himalayan butter tree, giving cooking fat and an enormous honey flow. चिनार चिनार Platanus orientalis The plane tree of Kashmir, planted for four centuries and unmistakable in autumn. टोपी फूल टोपी फूल Holmskioldia sanguinea A sub-Himalayan scrambler with brick-red bracts through the cool months. चीड़ चीड़ Pinus roxburghii The resin pine of the lower Himalaya, and the needle litter that makes those fires. चिरायता चिरायता Swertia chirayita An intensely bitter Himalayan herb of mid-altitude meadows, slow and particular. इस्कुस इस्कुस Sechium edule The squash that covers a whole roof in one season across the eastern hills. संचारी संचारी Dendrobium nobile Cane orchid of the eastern hills, flowering along last year’s bare canes. देवदार देवदार Cedrus deodara The Himalayan cedar — a slow, magnificent, cold-climate conifer. 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. फ्रेंच बीन फ्रेंच बीन Phaseolus vulgaris Bush beans for winter troughs; pole kinds for a balcony net. लहसुन लहसुन Allium sativum Plant single cloves in October and lift whole bulbs in March. कपूर कचरी कपूर कचरी Hedychium spicatum A Himalayan ginger relative with scented white flowers and aromatic rhizomes. हरड़ हरड़ Terminalia chebula One of the three fruits of triphala; a large deciduous tree of the sub-Himalayan tract. सेवंती सेवंती Chrysanthemum indicum The garden chrysanthemum of the north-Indian winter, sold by the crate at Diwali. किलमोड़ा किलमोड़ा Berberis asiatica A thorny yellow-wooded Himalayan shrub with blue berries and traditional root use. पदम पदम Prunus cerasoides Pink blossom in November, out of season by every other measure — the hill wild cherry. बांज बांज Quercus leucotrichophora The banj oak that holds the water in a Himalayan hillside; slow, dense and vital. तेजपत्ता तेजपत्ता Cinnamomum tamala The tejpatta of north Indian cooking — a hill tree, not the Mediterranean bay. चिउरी चिउरी Diploknema butyracea A sub-Himalayan tree giving edible fat and enormous quantities of nectar. पांगर पांगर Aesculus indica Big palmate leaves and white flower candles in the western Himalayan valleys. टून टून Toona ciliata A tall hill-forest tree with pinnate leaves and scented pink-tinged timber. तगर तगर Valeriana jatamansi A hill herb of stream banks with aromatic roots and heads of small white flowers. जटामांसी जटामांसी Nardostachys jatamansi The spikenard of the high Himalaya, aromatic-rooted and strictly a mountain plant. गुरलु गुरलु Coix lacryma-jobi Hard glossy grain used as food, as beads and as a brewing grain in the hills. कचनार कचनार Bauhinia variegata Orchid-like flowers in February, and buds that go into the north-Indian kitchen. खासी संतरा खासी संतरा Citrus reticulata The loose-skinned orange of the Khasi and Jaintia hills, ripe in December. कुटकी कुटकी Picrorhiza kurroa A high-altitude Himalayan herb — only worth trying in the hills, and only from nursery stock. लेडी स्लिपर लेडी स्लिपर Paphiopedilum insigne A pouched terrestrial orchid of the eastern Himalaya, cool-growing and slow. बड़ी इलायची बड़ी इलायची Amomum subulatum The smoked black cardamom of Sikkim, grown under alder shade. खुरखुरी खुरखुरी Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides A tiny creeping mat for the wet edge of a tub — the softest possible ground cover. मंजिष्ठा मंजिष्ठा Rubia cordifolia A scrambling hill plant whose root gives a lasting red dye. हंसराज हंसराज Adiantum philippense Fan-shaped leaflets on black wiry stalks — the fern of a shaded bathroom window. शहतूत शहतूत Morus alba Fruit in March, silkworm leaves all summer, and shade in between. जलकुंभी फूल जलकुंभी फूल Tropaeolum majus Edible flowers and leaves, and a magnet that pulls aphids off your vegetables.