Trachyandra ciliata
ASPHODELACEAE

• There’a a lot to love about veldkool! With its edible fleshy leaves and flower buds, this tufted perennial sprawls to about 50cm in height. Come spring it produces ephemeral, white, scented, star-like flowers in clusters called racemes. The trailing flowering stems are best eaten before the flowers open and prepared much like asparagus. Also highly recommended fried in olive oil with chilli and garlic.
• Flowering time: July-October
  In your garden: Perfect for sun and sand in coastal veggie gardens. Don’t be alarmed when the plants die back during summer – they will resprout from their swollen rootstock in winter and reward you with a rich harvest in spring. Be sure to leave some flowering stems for foraging bees and other insects to feast on pollen and nectar when the flowers open!
  Distribution: Common along the coast from Namibia to the Cape Peninsula and the southeastern Cape
  Image: © James Puttick