Camassia Species, Camas Lily

striking, showy tall natives which come back and increase their numbers in unirrigated, poor soil, full sun.

The beautiful purplish-blue Camassia is native to our northern plains and mountain states, and figured prominently in Native American his...Read Moretory. The lilies carpet open areas in the northern plains, and the bulbs were used for both food and medicine. Supposedly, Lewis and Clark collected some of the bulbs on one of their expeditions west.

Camassia quamash constituted a major portion of plant foods by northwestern Native Americans. It was eaten raw, roasted, boiled, fried, ...Read Moreor was dried and stored. It naturalizes readily on prairies with heavy soil that are wet in winter and dry in summer with low grass cover. Reproduces from seed only that is dispersed from pods in summer, taking 3-4 years from seed to bloom. Washington camas emerges in early March, blooms in May and June, seeds in July, and is dormant by September. Bulbs are easily moved when dormant. Does best in a natural setting where it won't be mowed until after seeding.