Trachyandra falcata Kunth

Fairly tall, large plants up to 60 cm high. Roots very many, long, spreading, swollen in spring, covered with a thick tomentum of root hairs. Rhizome small. Squamae membranous surrounding the shoot, leaves and scape-base. Leaves usually 4, up to30 cm long and 3-5 cm wide, falcate, flat, leathery, glabrous or shortly pubescent, margin minutely ciliate. Inflorescence an erect, branched, raceme with the branches ascending and with accessory branches, sometimes simple through reduction, over-topping the leaves, densely flowered; scape about as long as the raceme, terete, glabrous at the base, or hairy at first becoming glabrous, stout; lower bracts amplexicaul, short, forming a wide erect collar around the stem, apiculate, floral bracts widely ovate, subulate, membranous, white with a brown patch near the tips, closely imbricate in bud; pedicels short, 1 cm long, erect. Flower with perianth pale mauve, maculate; segments 12 mm long; stamens scabrid; ovary with 8-10 ovules per cell. Capsule turbinate, 12 mm long, apiculate, dry. Seeds grey, with raised hyaline margins.

It is a subtropical plant. It grows in hot and arid places with a marked dry season. The dry season can be 6-11 months. In southern Africa it grows between 60-1,100 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.

The flower buds are cooked in a stew. The leaves are cooked and used as a green vegetable.