A local name gets you to the gate. The structural evidence gets you inside. Here is how we parse the flora without watering down the science.
Compare leaves, flowers and the full botanical profile. A colloquial regional name is a great starting point, but different plants can share one. Audit the physical, visible clues to see who you’re standing next to.
Read the visible clues ↗A plant recorded across a broad state isn’t automatically native to your particular landscape. Read the stated range and its original source before choosing what to grow. A familiar face isn’t always a local anchor.
Explore sourced native records ↗Keep your digital observations and private device photography. Leave wild plants, roots and flowers where you find them. To bring the wild side into your yard or balcony, take the data to a local nursery and ask where its plants come from.
Meet your regional flora ↗Explore 2,802 plant records with sourced native ranges in Indian regions. Follow their local names, family connections and the places they come from.
Browse all 2,802 native-range records ↗
The directory has origin information for 3,744 plant records, drawn from Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) and individual reviews. Each profile names its source and distinguishes a dataset match from an individually reviewed range. A native range in India does not establish suitability for every local landscape.
9 plants. A closer look. These selected field notes pair individually reviewed native ranges with stories about how the plants live. Start here, then keep following the roots through the wider catalogue.
Native range reviewed: India
Range source: Kew POWO — Drosera indica ↗An insect-eating plant of wet ground and watersides. A completely different kind of aggressive green to get curious about. It doesn’t just grow; it hunts. Admire its evolutionary grit, but respect its boundaries.
Field source: IISc Herbarium JCB — Drosera indica ↗
Native range reviewed: Maharashtra (southwestern India)
Range source: Kew POWO — Impatiens dalzellii ↗Recorded in rocky crevices along the slopes of the ghats. A little life between the stones. Talk about deep connection.
Field source: IISc Herbarium JCB — Impatiens dalzellii ↗
Native range reviewed: India
Range source: Kew POWO — Habenaria grandifloriformis ↗An orchid with its feet on the ground. This native grows in grassy places and sunlit hill slopes. Look a little closer to the ground.
Field source: IISc Herbarium JCB — Habenaria grandifloriformis ↗
Native range reviewed: India
Range source: Kew POWO — Utricularia reticulata ↗A terrestrial bladderwort recorded in paddy fields, ponds and marshy places, with slender leaves and tiny rounded traps. There’s more going on here than its flowers let on.
Field source: IISc Herbarium JCB — Utricularia reticulata ↗
Native range reviewed: Southern India
Range source: Kew POWO — Osbeckia aspera ↗Three strong veins, hairy leaves and purple-pink flowers. This shrub is recorded in evergreen forests and grasslands, including the plains. A whole field note hiding in a rough little leaf.
Field source: IISc Herbarium JCB — Osbeckia aspera ↗
Native range reviewed: India
Range source: Kew POWO — Strobilanthes pulneyensis ↗Recorded in hill ravines above 1,400 metres and in moist-forest undergrowth. IISc describes this shrub as flowering every year. A steady rhythm of its own.
Field source: IISc Herbarium JCB — Strobilanthes pulneyensis ↗
Native range reviewed: Assam (India)
Range source: Kew POWO — Azadirachta indica ↗A familiar roadside tree with a life beyond the avenue: IISc also records it in dry deciduous forests, gardens and around places of worship. Get curious about the tree behind the name.
Field source: IISc Herbarium JCB — Azadirachta indica ↗
Native range reviewed: India
Range source: Kew POWO — Ficus religiosa ↗Look for heart-shaped leaves drawn into long, trailing tips. They stir and rustle in a light breeze: a living landmark with its own quiet soundtrack.
Field source: IISc Herbarium JCB — Ficus religiosa ↗
Native range reviewed: India
Range source: Kew species profile — Ocimum tenuiflorum ↗Often grown near homes and places of worship, this familiar undershrub also appears in scrub and deciduous forests. Follow the familiar name back out into the wild.
Field source: IISc Herbarium JCB — Ocimum tenuiflorum (listed as Ocimum sanctum) ↗