Plants of West Bengal

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. मोगरा मोगरा Jasminum sambac A pot by an open window does more for a summer evening than any air freshener. 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. 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. सीता अशोक सीता अशोक Saraca asoca The true ashoka — orange flower clusters on a small shade-loving tree of wet forest. कागजी नेमु कागजी नेमु Citrus limon var. The thin-skinned Assam lemon, fragrant enough to scent a whole kitchen. 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. बांस बांस Bambusa balcooa The fastest usable material on earth; one clump supplies poles for years. बांस करील बांस करील Dendrocalamus hamiltonii The north-eastern shoot bamboo — fermented shoots are a regional staple. केला केला Musa acuminata A single sucker in a corner gives shade, cooking leaves and, in time, fruit. बरगद बरगद Ficus benghalensis The tree that becomes a grove; only for parks, campuses and village greens. तेजपत्ता तेजपत्ता Cinnamomum tamala The tejpatta of the sub-Himalayan tract — three-veined leaves, straight off the tree. पान पान Piper betle The paan vine — grown in shaded enclosures across Bengal and the east. 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. भूत जोलोकिया भूत जोलोकिया Capsicum chinense The ghost chilli of Nagaland — a genuine regional speciality, and ferocious. बिलिम्बी बिलिम्बी Averrhoa bilimbi Sour fruit straight off the trunk, in constant supply on the wet coasts. 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. 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. 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. पटेरा पटेरा Typha angustifolia Brown flower spikes over strap leaves; the reed that cleans a village pond. चम्पा चम्पा Plumeria rubra Grows from a bare cutting pushed into dry soil; scents a whole terrace. चम्पा चम्पा Magnolia champaca Orange-yellow flowers whose scent carries across a whole garden at dusk. गुड़हल गुड़हल Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Flowers nearly all year in a warm city, and sunbirds find it within a week. अपराजिता अपराजिता Clitoria ternatea Blue butterfly pea — a light climber that fixes nitrogen and makes blue tea. 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. नारियल नारियल Cocos nucifera The tree the coasts are built on — water, kernel, oil, thatch and shade. अरबी अरबी Colocasia esculenta Big-leaved and happy in a wet corner; corms below, edible leaves above. नरकुल नरकुल Phragmites karka The tall reed of Indian riverbanks, and the standard plant for a reed-bed filter. पीला गुलमोहर पीला गुलमोहर Peltophorum pterocarpum Yellow flower spires and copper seed pods; the summer partner to the gulmohar. 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. लोबिया लोबिया Vigna unguiculata Pods, beans and green manure from one undemanding monsoon plant. चांदनी चांदनी Tabernaemontana divaricata Neat glossy shrub with pinwheel white flowers; the easiest good hedge there is. खीरा खीरा Cucumis sativus Fast, thirsty and best trained up a net where air can move around it.