Cyanella hyacinthoides is a species of corm

Corm

A corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat ....

ous annual or perennial herb native to South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. It has a much-branched stem up to 40 centimetres high, with flowers in white, pink, purple or blue.

It is native to the Cape region of South Africa, especially the renosterveld

Renosterveld

Renosterveld is a term used for one of the major plant communities and vegetation types of the Cape Floristic Region which is located in southwestern and southeastern South Africa, in southernmost Africa...

, where it grows on clay and granite slopes.

Common names include Lady's Hand.

The bulb is edible once cooked, and is said to serve as an onion

Onion

The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...

substitute.

It tolerates drought but is vulnerable to frost.