Trachyandra ciliata erect raceme tip

Trachyandra ciliata is but one of the Trachyandra species of the western and southern coasts known as veldkool in Afrikaans. The common name relating the plant to cabbage indicates its long-standing use as a vegetable by indigenous populations.

The young flower stems were eaten raw by the Khoi and San people, or more recently (and probably still today) are collected for cooking as a stew. The plant is usually not cultivated, i.e. harvesting occurs from plants in nature, which could impact on its sustained existence in habitat (Van Wyk and Gericke, 2000).