🇮🇳 The flowers of India

234 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

KindBotanical garden Flower garden Flower market Bloom site Festival or show

Place Kannauj Historic city in Uttar Pradesh known for traditional attar and flower perfumes Kannauj, 🇮🇳 India · Flower market

Place Rose garden A public garden devoted to growing and displaying many kinds of roses L'Haÿ-les-Roses, 🇫🇷 France · Flower garden

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

Place Shalimar Bagh A Mughal-era garden of terraces, fountains and chinar trees by Dal Lake, Srinagar Srinagar, 🇮🇳 India · Flower garden

Place Chashme Shahi A Mughal garden built around a spring in Srinagar, Kashmir Srinagar, 🇮🇳 India · Flower garden, Mar to Nov

Place Yadavindra Gardens A 17th-century Mughal garden with seven terraces in Pinjore, Haryana Panchkula, 🇮🇳 India · Flower garden, Apr to Dec

Place Achabal Gardens A historic Mughal garden with springs and a waterfall in Achabal, Jammu and Kashmir Achabal, 🇮🇳 India · Flower garden

Place Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute A major botanical garden and research centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Thiruvananthapuram, 🇮🇳 India · Botanical garden

Place Ward's LakeNan Polok A man-made lake and garden in the heart of Shillong, Meghalaya Shillong, 🇮🇳 India · Flower garden

Place Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden Asia’s largest tulip garden on the slopes above Dal Lake in Srinagar Srinagar, 🇮🇳 India · Flower garden, Mar to Apr

Place Agri-Horticultural Society of India Kolkata’s historic garden and centre for plant lovers Kolkata, 🇮🇳 India · Botanical garden

Place Government Rose Garden A hillside rose garden in Ooty with thousands of rose varieties Ooty, 🇮🇳 India · Botanical garden

Place Nishat Bagh A grand terraced Mughal garden on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar Srinagar, 🇮🇳 India · Flower garden

Place Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden A large botanical garden in Srinagar with thousands of ornamental plants Srinagar, 🇮🇳 India · Botanical garden

Place Mehtab Bagh A Mughal riverside garden facing the Taj Mahal in Agra Agra, 🇮🇳 India · Flower garden Place Ekamra Kanan The largest botanical garden and park in Bhubaneswar, Odisha Bhubaneswar, 🇮🇳 India · Botanical garden

Place Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden India’s oldest botanic garden, home to rare plants and the world’s largest banyan tree Howrah, 🇮🇳 India · Botanical garden

Place Sisodia Rani Garden and Palaceसिसोदिया रानी बाग A historic terraced garden and palace just outside Jaipur, Rajasthan Jaipur, 🇮🇳 India · Flower garden

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

Place Khusro Bagh A walled Mughal garden and tomb complex in Prayagraj, India Prayagraj, 🇮🇳 India · Flower garden

Place Cubbon Park A historic green heart in central Bengaluru Bengaluru, 🇮🇳 India · Flower garden

Place Thrikkakara Temple Kerala temple at the heart of Onam festival traditions Kochi, 🇮🇳 India · Festival or show, Aug to Sep

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

Place Thovalai A Tamil Nadu village known for its jasmine flower market and temples Nagercoil, 🇮🇳 India · Flower market

Photo credits on this page

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

Kannauj: Nature lusty vikash, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Rose garden: The original uploader was SUJIRENas at Lithuanian Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Sim's Park, Coonoor: Thangaraj Kumaravel, CC BY 2.0, source
Shalimar Bagh: ANSAR AHMAD, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Yadavindra Gardens: Giridhar Appaji Nag Y, CC BY 2.0, source
Chashme Shahi: Amitraina at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
Achabal Gardens: Shaurya, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute: No machine-readable author provided. Shyamal assumed (based on copyrig, CC BY 2.5, source
Ward's Lake: ANKAN, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden: Kevin.abraham335, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Agri-Horticultural Society of India: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, source
Government Rose Garden: Challiyan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Nishat Bagh: McKay Savage, CC BY 2.0, source
Lotus: Peripitus, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden: Dvellakat, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Mehtab Bagh: :en:Aks khandelwal ( talk | contribs ), Public domain, source
Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden: Jeroje at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Sisodia Rani Garden and Palace: Shishir.k 96, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Lalbagh Botanical Garden: Chidambara, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Khusro Bagh: Harshgupta28, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Cubbon Park: Augustus Binu / facebook, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Thrikkakara Temple: Ranjithsiji, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Zakir Husain Rose Garden: Harvinder Chandigarh, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Thovalai: Dr. Chinchu C., CC BY 4.0, 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