Trachyandra is a genus in the Asphodelaceae family. Species are native to southern and tropical east Africa and Madagascar. The majority of the species are from the Western Cape. They are tuberous or rhizomatous perennials, occasionally shrublets, with short lived white star shaped flowers with six petals and six stamens. Leaves are fleshy, sometimes hairy.
Trachyandra falcata (L.f.) Kunth is a robust plant to 60 cm tall found in variable habitats, sandy to clay flats and slopes and karroid scrub from Namibia south to the Western Cape and the Western Karoo of South Africa. This species has 4 to 5 basal leaves that are broad, flat, curved and leathery and may or may not be hairy. The pale mauve to white flowers are marked with brown and are densely packed in a branched or sparsely branched cylindrical flower head. Photos taken in the Western Cape and Namaqualand by Mary Sue Ittner.
Trachyandra hirsutiflora (Adamson) Oberm. is distributed on sandy flats and lower slopes in the Western Cape, South Africa. Growing to 60 cm, it is a rhizomatous perennial with linear leaves and white to grey flowers congested in a hairy raceme on long pedicels. It flowers late winter to spring (September to October). Photo from Rod Saunders.
Trachyandra saltii (Baker) Oberm. is found in grassland in tropical and southern Africa. It grows to 50 cm, has grass-like leaves, an unbranched stem, and white flowers that open in the afternoon and close at dusk. Photos taken in the Eastern Cape by Mary Sue Ittner and Bob Rutemoeller January 2010. The first was taken at Naude's Nek.
Trachyandra sp. was photographed on a wet day in January at Andriesberg in January by Bob Rutemoeller and Cameron McMaster. The plants seen could be Trachyandra saltii.
