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15 plants worth knowing

India

India is one of the world’s most botanically rich countries – about 18,000 species of flowering plants grow here, and its territory includes parts of four global biodiversity “hotspots”. The landscape ranges from the humid forests of the Western Ghats and the north-east, through monsoon forests of sal and teak and the dry savannas of the Deccan, to the Thar Desert and the Himalayan conifer forests with their alpine meadows.

Hover over a plant to see on the map where it grows.

where it grows

  1. Sacred lotus 1

    aquatic plant · National flower of India

    Sacred lotus

    Nelumbo nucifera

    The lotus rises out of the mud, yet its flowers and leaves stay spotlessly clean – in India it is an age-old symbol of purity and enlightenment.
  2. Banyan 2

    tree · National tree of India

    Banyan

    Ficus benghalensis

    A banyan in the botanical garden near Kolkata has put down thousands of prop roots and looks like a whole forest, though it is a single tree.
  3. Mango 3

    tree · National fruit of India

    Mango

    Mangifera indica

    India produces nearly half the world’s mango harvest and grows more than a thousand varieties – from Alphonso to Dasheri.
  4. Neem 4

    tree

    Neem

    Azadirachta indica

    Neem is India’s village pharmacy: its twigs clean teeth, its oil protects crops and its leaves heal the skin.
  5. Tea plant 5

    crop

    Tea plant

    Camellia sinensis

    Assam, Darjeeling, Nilgiri – India’s teas are brands known all over the world, and chai is drunk on every street corner.
  6. Sacred fig 6

    tree · State tree of Bihar and Haryana

    Sacred fig

    Ficus religiosa

    It was under a sacred fig in Bodh Gaya that Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment – to Buddhists and Hindus it is a holy tree.
  7. Holy basil 7

    herbaceous plant

    Holy basil

    Ocimum tenuiflorum

    Tulsi grows in front of almost every Hindu home – it is watered daily and honoured with prayer as the embodiment of a goddess.
  8. Turmeric 8

    crop

    Turmeric

    Curcuma longa

    India supplies about three-quarters of the world’s turmeric – there is no curry without it, and before a wedding it is smeared on the bride and groom.
  9. Teak 9

    tree

    Teak

    Tectona grandis

    Malabar teak was used to build Royal Navy warships, and Nilambur in Kerala has the oldest teak plantation in the world.
  10. Black pepper 10

    climber

    Black pepper

    Piper nigrum

    The “black gold” of Malabar – pepper from Kerala drew Roman and Arab merchants to India, and eventually Vasco da Gama.
  11. Coconut palm 11

    palm · State tree of Kerala

    Coconut palm

    Cocos nucifera

    The palm that, according to popular etymology, gave Kerala its name – its nut is broken for good luck during Hindu rituals.
  12. Indian sandalwood 12

    tree · State tree of Karnataka

    Indian sandalwood

    Santalum album

    A tree whose fragrant wood has gone into temples, incense and perfumes for thousands of years – the famous “Mysore sandalwood”.
  13. Green cardamom 13

    crop

    Green cardamom

    Elettaria cardamomum

    The “queen of spices” from the humid forests of the Western Ghats – its aromatic green pods go into masala chai, sweets and biryani.
  14. Flame of the forest 14

    tree · State flower of Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh

    Flame of the forest

    Butea monosperma

    “Flame of the forest” – at the turn of winter and spring the leafless tree is covered in orange-red flowers, once used to make dye for Holi.
  15. Ashoka tree 15

    tree · State flower of Odisha, state tree of Uttar Pradesh

    Ashoka tree

    Saraca asoca

    The sacred “sorrowless” tree – in the Ramayana Sita was held captive in an ashoka grove, and some traditions say the Buddha was born beneath one.