🇮🇳 The flowers of India

261 pages from India: its flowers, the things made with them and the places to see them, across 60 cities and regions.

India’s flowering plants are among the most varied on Earth, with over 18,000 species thriving across its many climates. From Himalayan conifers to tropical rainforests and dry plains, each region supports its own mix of wildflowers and trees. India is also known for its wealth of medicinal plants and high number of unique native species.

India has over 18,000 species of flowering plants.
Eight main floristic regions divide the country’s plant life.
More than 3,000 species are used in traditional medicine.
The Andaman Islands are known for mangrove forests.
About 1,336 plant species are threatened by habitat loss.

The plant life of India

India’s plant life is shaped by its wide range of climates, from tropical to alpine. The country supports more than 18,000 species of flowering plants, making up a significant share of the world’s total. Forests cover about a fifth of the land, with broad-leaved deciduous trees like sal and teak common in many areas. Conifers such as pine and deodar grow in the high northern mountains, while tropical rainforests are found in the Andaman Islands, the Western Ghats, and the northeast. Each region’s unique conditions have led to a remarkable diversity of flowers and trees.

From region to region in India

The flora shifts dramatically from one part of India to another. The Himalayas are home to conifers and alpine flowers, while Assam and the northeast have evergreen forests. The Indus plain is drier, supporting tough, drought-resistant plants. Central and southern India feature dry forests dominated by teak, and the Deccan and western Gangetic plain have thorny vegetation. The Andaman Islands are noted for their mangroves and rainforests, and the Malabar region supports both lush woods and plantations.

Flowers to know in India

India is rich in endemic flowering plants, with many species found nowhere else. Sal and teak are two of the most widespread and important trees. Pines, junipers, and deodars are typical in the Himalayas. The country also has a long tradition of using over 3,000 plant species for medicine, and more than 800 are used by tribal communities. The Andaman Islands stand out for their unique mangrove species.

How flowers are used in India

Plants have been central to Indian life for centuries, especially as sources of traditional medicine. Thousands of species are officially recognized for their medicinal value, and many are still used by tribal groups. Plantation crops are important in regions like Malabar. Ethnobotanical research continues to document how people use native flowers and plants.

Threats and protection in India

Habitat loss threatens over 1,300 plant species in India, with about 20 possibly extinct. Conservation efforts include the publication of a Red Data Book by the Botanical Survey of India, which lists endangered plants. Forest cover remains below the national target, and protecting rare and endemic species is an ongoing concern.

Where this page comes from

The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Flora of India", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Phool rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

Flower experiences in India

All 24

🇮🇳 Mumbai · All yearDadar flower market at dawnMumbai's wholesale flower market beside Dadar station, at its busiest before the city has had breakfast.

🇮🇳 Kolkata · All yearMullick Ghat flower market under Howrah BridgeA crowded riverside flower market on the Hooghly, in the shadow of Howrah Bridge.

🇮🇳 Bengaluru · All yearKR Market flower hallBengaluru's old city market, where the flower floor is best seen from the stairs above.

🇮🇳 Chennai · All yearKoyambedu wholesale flower marketThe flower block of Chennai's vast Koyambedu wholesale complex, busiest before sunrise.

🇮🇳 Madurai · All yearMadurai malli at the Mattuthavani flower marketThe wholesale market that sets the daily price of Madurai malli, the jasmine the city is famous for. 🇮🇳 Delhi · All yearGhazipur phool mandiDelhi's wholesale flower market in the east of the city, where the capital's bouquets and garlands begin.

ShowFlowers Decorations Places

ColourRed Pink Orange Yellow White Cream Blue Purple Green Maroon Many-coloured

In flowerSpring Summer Monsoon Autumn Winter

LantanaLantana camara A colourful shrub with clusters of small, changing flowers 🇧🇷 Brazil and 9 more · Flowering shrub

Place Sim's Park, Coonoor A century-old botanical garden in the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu Coonoor, 🇮🇳 India · Botanical garden, May

Weeping bottlebrushMelaleuca viminalis A red-flowered Australian tree with weeping branches and bottlebrush blooms 🇦🇺 Australia and 5 more · Flowering tree

ChampakMagnolia champaca A tall tree with fragrant yellow to orange flowers, prized in South and Southeast Asia 🇲🇲 Myanmar and 7 more · Flowering tree

Celosia Flame-like flowers grown for food and garden colour 🇳🇬 Nigeria and 5 more · Garden flower

Flame lilyGloriosa superba A striking red and yellow climbing flower, national emblem of Zimbabwe and Tamil Nadu 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe and 9 more · Wildflower

Black-eyed Susan vineThunbergia alata A fast-growing climbing plant with bright flowers and a dark centre 🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Garden flower

Pinwheel flowerTabernaemontana divaricata A fragrant white-flowered shrub native to South and Southeast Asia 🇲🇲 Myanmar and 2 more · Flowering shrub

Scarlet jungleflameIxora coccinea A dense evergreen shrub with year-round scarlet flower clusters 🇮🇳 India and 6 more · Flowering shrub

Decoration Pūjā in Buddhism𑀧𑀽𑀚𑀸 A ritual offering and devotional act in Buddhist practice 🇮🇳 India and 3 more · Offering or rite

Place Mehtab Bagh A Mughal riverside garden facing the Taj Mahal in Agra Agra, 🇮🇳 India · Flower garden

Beach naupakaScaevola taccada A salt-tolerant shrub with fan-shaped white flowers on tropical beaches 🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Wildflower

Bengal trumpetThunbergia grandiflora A climbing vine with large blue-violet trumpet flowers from Southeast Asia 🇮🇳 India and 7 more · Climber

Arabian jasmineJasminum sambac A small white jasmine with a strong, sweet scent, treasured in Asia for garlands and ceremonies 🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Flowering shrub

Place Lalbagh Botanical Garden Historic botanical garden and flower show venue in Bengaluru, India Bengaluru, 🇮🇳 India · Botanical garden, Jan to Aug

Decoration Kolamகோலம் South Indian geometric floor art made with rice flour or powder at home entrances 🇮🇳 India and 5 more · Carpet or floor pattern

Place Zakir Husain Rose Garden A vast rose garden and festival site in Chandigarh, India Chandigarh, 🇮🇳 India · Flower garden, Jan to Dec

Crown of thornsEuphorbia milii A spiny flowering shrub with red, pink, or white bracts, native to Madagascar 🇲🇬 Madagascar and 5 more · Wildflower

Ixora Tropical evergreen shrubs with clusters of small, bright flowers 🇮🇳 India and 4 more · Garden flower

KadambaNeolamarckia cadamba A tropical tree with fragrant orange globe-shaped flowers from South and Southeast Asia 🇮🇳 India and 7 more · Flowering tree

Shirui lilyLilium mackliniae A rare lily found only in the hills of Manipur, India 🇮🇳 India · Wildflower

BrahmakamalSaussurea obvallata A Himalayan alpine flower with papery bracts, sacred in Indian hill temples 🇮🇳 India and 4 more · Wildflower

Decoration Topiary The art of shaping living shrubs and trees into geometric or fanciful forms 🇮🇹 Italy and 6 more · Arrangement

Decoration Floral industry The global trade and business of growing, selling, and arranging flowers 🇳🇱 Netherlands and 7 more · Custom

Decoration Conservatory A glass-walled room or building for growing and displaying plants 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 more · Garden style

Roscoea Orchid-like ginger flowers from Himalayan and Chinese mountains 🇨🇳 China and 3 more · Wildflower

Decoration Onam Kerala’s ten-day harvest festival with flower carpets, feasts and boat races 🇮🇳 India and 1 more · Custom, Aug to Sep

Blue water lilyNymphaea nouchali A star-shaped aquatic bloom in white, blue and pink across South and Southeast Asia 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 7 more · Water flower

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Onam: Jiteshgt, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Sim's Park, Coonoor: Thangaraj Kumaravel, CC BY 2.0, source
Weeping bottlebrush: Geoff Fox, CC BY 3.0, source
Champak: Francisco Manuel Blanco (O.S.A.), Public domain, source
Celosia: Reaperman, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Flame lily: Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, source
Black-eyed Susan vine: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, source
Pinwheel flower: SKsiddhartthan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Scarlet jungleflame: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Pūjā in Buddhism: Luca Galuzzi ( Lucag ), CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Lotus: Peripitus, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Mehtab Bagh: :en:Aks khandelwal ( talk | contribs ), Public domain, source
Beach naupaka: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, source
Bengal trumpet: Don McCulley, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Arabian jasmine: Taken by Fanghong, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Lantana: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Lalbagh Botanical Garden: Chidambara, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Kolam: mckaysavage, CC BY 2.0, source
Zakir Husain Rose Garden: Harvinder Chandigarh, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Crown of thorns: Ezra Katz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Ixora: Wilfredor, CC0, source
Kadamba: This work was made by Tushar Hossain and released under the license(s), CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Shirui lily: Tabish Qureshi Tabish q, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Brahmakamal: Schwiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Topiary: Burkhard Mücke, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Floral industry: Satin66Flower, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Conservatory: Lukáš Kalista, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Roscoea: Roscoea_purpurea_20070810-1338-183.jpg : Keith Edkins derivative work:, CC BY 2.5, source
Blue water lily: Nguyễn Tấn Phát, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Kr Market Bengaluru: Pp391, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Dadar Flower Market Mumbai: Swaminathan, CC BY 2.0, source
Mullick Ghat Flower Market Kolkata: Pradip paswan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Koyambedu Flower Market Chennai: Sudhamshu Hebbar, CC BY 2.0, source
Madurai Jasmine Market: எஸ்ஸார், CC BY-SA 3.0, source