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.

Common on sandy flats along the southwestern Cape coast with trailing, snake-like flower spikes. The fruiting stalks curve downward. Flowers last only a single day and are pleasantly scented. Pollinated by bees that collect pollen and possibly nectar. The seeds are shed during summer.