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A small growing plant from South Africa, close relative to Anthericum. It seems to be happy in a pot in the greenhouse,
and I see no reason to disturb it.
The flowering stems are recorded as being cut and used as a steamed vegetable in South Africa. I haven't tried it,
my single flowering stem wouldn't have made much of a mouthful. I got it from Tale Valley Nursery, their label says: "Low growing South African perennial with stalks of white starry flowers. Well drained compost in cool greenhouse. Seed raised." Plantzafrica says: "Widespread, usually on coastal sands from southern Namibia to the southeastern Cape. The name Trachyandra is derived from the Greek words, trachy, meaning rough, and andro, meaning male, and refers to the scabrid (hairy) filaments of the stamens. There are ± 55 species that mainly occur in southern Africa, particularly the Western Cape, but some species extend into tropical Africa as far as Somalia. Trachyandra ciliata (ciliatus means finely hairy) is most similar to T. arenicola and T. falcata in the congested inflorescence. It was described by Linnaeus' son from a specimen collected by Carl Thunberg in the 1770s during his expeditions in the Cape. Trachyandra ciliata is common on sandy flats along the southwestern Cape coast. The plants are easily recognized from other similar species by the trailing, snake-like flower spikes. The fruiting stalks curve downwards very characteristically. Like all species in the genus, each flower lasts only a single day and is pleasantly scented. Trachyandra ciliata is used as a vegetable. The flowering stalks are harvested before the flowers open and can be steamed or boiled in much the same way as asparagus, or cooked in a stew. Its use as a vegetable seems only to have been first recorded as recently as 1915 by Rudolph Marloth." |
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| 28th March 2009 | ||
