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Camassia quamash (Common Camas, Indian
Hyacinth)
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Kingdom
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Plantae – Plants
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Subkingdom
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Tracheobionta –
Vascular plants
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Superdivision
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Spermatophyta – Seed
plants
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Division
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Magnoliophyta – Flowering
plants
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Class
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Liliopsida – Monocotyledons
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Subclass
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Liliidae
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Order
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Liliales
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Family
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Liliaceae – Lily family
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Genus
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Camassia Lindl. – camas
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Species
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Camassia quamash (Pursh)
Greene – small camas
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Note: Throughout
the years I've written short articles for our website's home pages
(home pages are the front page of a website) about these plants.
They are now included at the bottom of this page, and are
illustrated by botanical drawings and paintings, some of which are
from books published from 1500 - 1900. |
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Common Camas has several leaves, similar to those of the
daffodil. The beautiful blue violet flowers are
shaped like stars and grow along the 12-18" stem.
Common Camas is found along the Pacific coast and east into Idaho. It is hardy
between USDA zones 6-10. Native Western Americans
relied on Camas for their sustenance and traveled great distances to attain it.
The steamed bulbs are very sweet and were sometimes combined with Soapberry
(Sheperdia canadensis) to sweeten that fruit. |
At the Root Celebration, the San Poil peoples who live along the
Columbia River, tell this story:
Bitterroot (called
'the Root That Has Many
Legs' in their native language) at one time was whole and long, like a carrot.
And the roots were people; the human race was not yet born.
The trees too, were people, and bitterroot lost a
bet with them. For their punishment, the roots were made to live in the
ground, to feed the new people: the San Poil.
The camas, too, gambled with the trees and lost.
Asked what it wanted to be, Camas answered, "I want to be round, I don't
want to be split, like bitterroot, and I want to be pretty."
And so it is, according to San Poil legend, that
the camas blooms with a beautiful blue flower in the spring and has
nourished Indian people always, with its round, sweet roots.
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FYI: Bitterroot is now scientifically named Lewisia
rediviva Pursh. It is a small plant, blooms are very close to the ground.
The state flower of Montana. Found in the wild on heavy soil, rocky and arid,
often in the company of sagebrush. Flowers are rose to deep pink and on occasion
pale pink. The root was a staple food of some
native North American Indian tribes. It is said to be extremely nutritious, 50 -
80 grams being sufficient to sustain an active person for a day. The root is,
however, small and tedious to collect.
Bitterroot was also used medicinally.
From Montana Plant Life at
www.montana.plant-life.org/ |
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Do take extreme care in tasting
Camas as its deadly look-alike, Death Camas (Zigadenus Venenosus), often grows
alongside it. The flowers of Death Camas are cream coloured or white, while
Common Camas or Leichtlin's Camas has blue flowers. However, the bulbs are
harvested after the flowers have gone by, leaving the bulbs of both plants
virtually identical. One way to distinguish the two is to tie a marker to
the stems but a better way is to post a flag or other marker on sticks
surrounding the Death Camas.
Camas bulbs may be available from plant
nurseries specializing in natives. |
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Photo left by Robbie Giles.
At right, photo by Ben Cody. |
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From Homepage April 28, 2005
Blue
as blue can be, the Camas are blooming! You'll spot these starry flowers
as you travel about the Willamette Valley right now. Oh Joy! Tuck them
in your garden, put them all around your landscape. Their leaves are
spikes of green and they'll never fail to give your garden a touch of
blue each spring.
Long treasured by First Nation peoples,
celebrations are still held for this diet staple. They are quite
delicious roasted on an open fire. If you decide to try them be positive
sure you have identified them correctly. Many a would-be wild food
gourmet has been unpleasantly surprised by a mis-identified plant. Some
can even cause death. |
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From Homepage May 12, 2007
I feel a bouquet coming on! Our beautiful NW
native Camas and False Solomon's Seal are
both blooming right now--a lovely combination for a bouquet! The
seriously blue star-shaped flower spikes of the Camas is enhanced by the
sparkling white clusters of False Solomon's Seal blooms.
All my life I've loved picking flowers and
plopping them into a vase to enjoy inside. As a child I'd bring in a
fistful of posies to my mother, sure she would be overwhelmed by such
a display of beauty. Back then my offering was a typical child's
bouquet: mauled dandelions and squished roses from her prized plants,
each with a 1 inch stem. Now I bring her a collection of wild flowers, the
most choice blooms, cut with care but presented with just as much glee
as when I was 3. |
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