Garden plants for India
208 plants that appear on garden plant lists for India: vegetables, herbs, fruit, flowers, shrubs and trees that gardeners there commonly grow, native or introduced. Each links to a growing guide with spacing, sun, water, hardiness, toxicity and sources.
India spans more than one climate. Being on this list does not mean a plant suits your own site: check its hardiness and water needs against your local conditions, and avoid plants listed as invasive in your area.
Plan a garden with these plants →
Vegetables (36)
- African cabbage (spider flower vegetable) Gynandropsis gynandra
- Arrowroot (West Indian arrowroot) Maranta arundinacea
- Bitter melon Momordica charantia · invasive in some regions
- Bottle gourd Lagenaria siceraria
- Cabbage Brassica oleracea var. capitata
- Cauliflower Brassica oleracea var. botrytis
- Chickpea Cicer arietinum
- Chili pepper Capsicum annuum (hot types)
- Chinese water chestnut (mÇŽtÃ) Eleocharis dulcis
- Cluster bean (guar) Cyamopsis tetragonoloba
- Cucumber Cucumis sativus
- Eggplant (aubergine) Solanum melongena
- Elephant foot yam (suran, buk) Amorphophallus paeoniifolius
- Garlic Allium sativum
- Hausa potato (frafra potato, Sudan potato) Coleus rotundifolius
- Ivy gourd (tindora) Coccinia grandis · invasive in some regions
- Katuk (sweet leaf, phak wan ban) Breynia androgyna
- Lablab (hyacinth bean, tua paep) Lablab purpureus
- Lentil Lens culinaris
- Molokhia (jute mallow) Corchorus olitorius
- Mung bean Vigna radiata
- Okra Abelmoschus esculentus
- Onion Allium cepa
- Prince’s feather (huautli amaranth) Amaranthus hypochondriacus
- Pumpkin Cucurbita maxima / C. pepo
- Purslane Portulaca oleracea
- Radish Raphanus sativus
- Ridge gourd (turai) Luffa acutangula
- Roselle (hibiscus sorrel) Hibiscus sabdariffa
- Sesame Sesamum indicum
- Snake gourd Trichosanthes cucumerina
- Spinach Spinacia oleracea
- Sweet potato Ipomoea batatas
- Sword bean (tua phra) Canavalia gladiata
- Tomato Solanum lycopersicum
- Vegetable hummingbird (agati, dok khae) Sesbania grandiflora
Herbs (21)
- Ajwain (carom) Trachyspermum ammi
- Anise (aniseed) Pimpinella anisum
- Ashwagandha (winter cherry) Withania somnifera
- Betel leaf Piper betle
- Black cumin (nigella seed) Nigella sativa
- Black mustard Brassica nigra · invasive in some regions
- Black pepper Piper nigrum
- Coriander (cilantro) Coriandrum sativum
- Cuban oregano (Indian borage) Coleus amboinicus
- Cumin Cuminum cyminum
- Curry tree Murraya koenigii
- Dyer’s madder Rubia tinctorum
- Fenugreek (methi) Trigonella foenum-graecum
- Ginger Zingiber officinale
- Green cardamom Elettaria cardamomum
- Holy basil Ocimum tenuiflorum
- Kencur (aromatic ginger) Kaempferia galanga
- Mint Mentha spicata
- Patchouli Pogostemon cablin
- Scent leaf (African basil) Ocimum gratissimum
- Turmeric Curcuma longa
Fruit (25)
- Ambarella (June plum) Spondias dulcis
- Amla (Indian gooseberry) Phyllanthus emblica
- Bael (stone apple) Aegle marmelos
- Banana Musa x paradisiaca
- Bilimbi (cucumber tree) Averrhoa bilimbi
- Burmese grape (ma-fai) Baccaurea ramiflora
- Cashew Anacardium occidentale
- Citron (incl. Buddha’s hand) Citrus medica
- Custard apple (bullock’s heart) Annona reticulata
- Guava Psidium guajava · invasive in some regions
- Hog plum (ma-kok, amra) Spondias pinnata
- Indian jujube (ber, phutsa) Ziziphus mauritiana · invasive in some regions
- Jackfruit Artocarpus heterophyllus
- Jamaican cherry (calabura, takhop farang) Muntingia calabura · invasive in some regions
- Karanda (Bengal currant, nam daeng) Carissa carandas
- Lemon tree (dwarf) Citrus limon
- Mango (dwarf) Mangifera indica
- Papaya Carica papaya
- Pomegranate Punica granatum
- Rose apple Syzygium jambos · invasive in some regions
- Sapodilla (chico, lamut) Manilkara zapota
- Star gooseberry (Otaheite gooseberry, ma-yom) Phyllanthus acidus
- Sugar apple (sweetsop) Annona squamosa
- Vanilla orchid Vanilla planifolia
- Wood apple (elephant apple, ma-khwit) Limonia acidissima
Flowers (34)
- Arrowhead vine (syngonium) Syngonium podophyllum · invasive in some regions
- Blackberry lily (leopard lily, shaga) Iris domestica
- Blue vanda Vanda coerulea
- Bougainvillea Bougainvillea glabra
- Celosia (cockscomb) Celosia argentea
- Cosmos Cosmos bipinnatus
- Drumstick primula Primula denticulata
- Firecracker flower (crossandra) Crossandra infundibuliformis
- Flame lily (gloriosa) Gloriosa superba
- Flaming Katy (florist’s kalanchoe) Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
- Flax (linseed) Linum usitatissimum
- Four-season orchid (jian lan, sword-leaved cymbidium) Cymbidium ensifolium
- French marigold Tagetes patula
- Garden rose Rosa x hybrida
- Giant Himalayan lily Cardiocrinum giganteum
- Himalayan cowslip (Sikkim primrose) Primula sikkimensis
- Mexican marigold (cempasúchil) Tagetes erecta
- Moonflower Ipomoea alba
- Mother of thousands (devil’s backbone) Kalanchoe daigremontiana · invasive in some regions
- Night-scented lily (giant upright elephant ear) Alocasia odora
- Noble dendrobium Dendrobium nobile
- Noog (niger seed) Guizotia abyssinica
- Pentas (Egyptian starcluster) Pentas lanceolata
- Poison bulb (giant crinum lily, phlap phlueng) Crinum asiaticum
- Purple roscoea (Himalayan ginger lily) Roscoea purpurea
- Queen of the night (Dutchman’s pipe cactus) Epiphyllum oxypetalum
- Rangoon creeper Combretum indicum · invasive in some regions
- Sacred lotus Nelumbo nucifera
- Safflower Carthamus tinctorius
- Saffron crocus Crocus sativus
- Shirui lily Lilium mackliniae
- Tropical hibiscus Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
- Tuberose Agave amica (Polianthes tuberosa)
- Zinnia Zinnia elegans
Shrubs (30)
- Arabian jasmine Jasminum sambac
- Bengal clock vine (blue trumpet vine) Thunbergia grandiflora · invasive in some regions
- Cinnabar rhododendron Rhododendron cinnabarinum
- Climbing ylang-ylang (karawek) Artabotrys hexapetalus
- Common jasmine Jasminum officinale
- Cotton (upland cotton) Gossypium hirsutum
- Crape jasmine (pinwheel flower, phut) Tabernaemontana divaricata
- Crown flower (giant milkweed, dok rak) Calotropis gigantea
- Desert rose Adenium obesum
- Frangipani (plumeria) Plumeria rubra
- Golden dewdrop (sky flower, duranta) Duranta erecta · invasive in some regions
- Golden trumpet (allamanda) Allamanda cathartica · invasive in some regions
- Henna Lawsonia inermis
- Himalayan honeysuckle (pheasant berry) Leycesteria formosa · invasive in some regions
- Himalayan indigo Indigofera heterantha
- Jungle geranium (ixora) Ixora coccinea
- Mussaenda (Doña Aurora) Mussaenda philippica
- Nepalese paper plant (lokta daphne) Daphne bholua
- Night-blooming jessamine (dama de noche) Cestrum nocturnum · invasive in some regions
- Night jasmine (parijat) Nyctanthes arbor-tristis
- Oleander Nerium oleander
- Pencil tree (firesticks, milk bush) Euphorbia tirucalli
- Pigeon pea Cajanus cajan
- Red powder puff Calliandra haematocephala
- Robusta coffee Coffea canephora
- Thomson’s rhododendron Rhododendron thomsonii
- True indigo Indigofera tinctoria
- Weeping bottlebrush Melaleuca viminalis
- Yellow bells (yellow trumpetbush) Tecoma stans · invasive in some regions
- Yesterday-today-and-tomorrow (manacá) Brunfelsia pauciflora
Trees (52)
- Allspice (pimento) Pimenta dioica
- Areca nut palm (betel nut palm, mak) Areca catechu
- Areca palm (golden cane palm) Dypsis lutescens
- Ashoka tree Saraca asoca
- Beach she-oak (coast she-oak, Australian pine) Casuarina equisetifolia · invasive in some regions
- Bhutan pine (Himalayan white pine) Pinus wallichiana
- Calabash tree (jÃcaro, totumo) Crescentia cujete
- Campbell’s magnolia Magnolia campbellii
- Cassia (Chinese cinnamon) Cinnamomum cassia
- Ceylon cinnamon Cinnamomum verum
- Ceylon ironwood (na, bunnak) Mesua ferrea
- Champak Magnolia champaca
- Chinaberry (Persian lilac) Melia azedarach · invasive in some regions
- Clove Syzygium aromaticum
- Coconut palm Cocos nucifera
- Deodar cedar Cedrus deodara
- Flame of the forest (palash) Butea monosperma
- Gliricidia (madre de cacao, mata ratón) Gliricidia sepium
- Gum arabic tree (hashab, kikwata) Senegalia senegal
- Himalayan birch (bhojpatra; white-barked jacquemontii) Betula utilis
- Indian banyan Ficus benghalensis
- Indian coral tree Erythrina variegata
- Indian cork tree (tree jasmine, peep) Millingtonia hortensis
- Indian sandalwood Santalum album
- Indian trumpet tree (broken bones tree, pheka) Oroxylum indicum
- Kadam Neolamarckia cadamba
- Kashmir cypress (Bhutan weeping cypress) Cupressus cashmeriana
- Lemon-scented gum Corymbia citriodora
- Moringa Moringa oleifera
- Neem Azadirachta indica · invasive in some regions
- Nutmeg Myristica fragrans
- Orchid tree (mountain ebony) Bauhinia variegata · invasive in some regions
- Palmyra palm (toddy palm, tan) Borassus flabellifer
- Pride of Burma Amherstia nobilis
- Purple orchid tree (butterfly tree, Bauhinia purpurea) Bauhinia purpurea
- Queen’s crape myrtle (banaba) Lagerstroemia speciosa
- River red gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis · invasive in some regions
- Rosy trumpet tree (chomphu phanthip) Tabebuia rosea
- Sacred fig (peepal, bodhi tree) Ficus religiosa
- Sausage tree (worsboom, muvevha) Kigelia africana
- Siamese cassia (khi lek) Senna siamea
- Silky oak (southern silky oak) Grevillea robusta · invasive in some regions
- Spanish cherry (bullet wood, phikun) Mimusops elengi
- Star anise Illicium verum
- Takhian (Hopea odorata) Hopea odorata
- Tamarind Tamarindus indica
- Tasmanian blue gum Eucalyptus globulus · invasive in some regions
- Tree rhododendron (lali gurans, burans) Rhododendron arboreum
- Tropical almond (Indian almond, hu kwang) Terminalia catappa
- Weeping fig (Benjamin fig) Ficus benjamina
- White champaka (champi) Magnolia × alba
- Yellow flame tree (copperpod, non si) Peltophorum pterocarpum
Grasses (7)
- Finger millet (ragi) Eleusine coracana
- Pearl millet Cenchrus americanus
- Rice (Asian rice) Oryza sativa
- Sorghum Sorghum bicolor
- Sugarcane Saccharum officinarum
- Vetiver Chrysopogon zizanioides
- Wheat (bread wheat) Triticum aestivum
Groundcovers (3)
- Aloe vera Aloe vera
- Golden pothos (devil’s ivy) Epipremnum aureum · invasive in some regions
- Snake plant Dracaena trifasciata · invasive in some regions
Reference values for planning, not horticultural, veterinary or medical advice. Varieties, soils and local climates differ: check with a local nursery or extension service.