| Where the garden meets the wild | |
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CAMASSIA CAMAS, QUAMASH, INDIAN HYACINTH Hyacinthaceae (Hyacinth family) / Asparagaceae (Asparagus family) |
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Camassia leichtlinii in our garden. Photograph © Paige Woodward |
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| Spring has arrived when
the land is blue with camas. That's the way it used to be in the Pacific
Northwest. With energy, you can establish a Camassia prairie
nowadays, too. These bulbs naturalise beautifully. Camassia of various species are native across North America. We offer only those of the Pacific Northwest. First Nations women cultivated these starchy bulbs as food, preserving their open, grassy habitat by weeding and burning. The women recognized the somewhat similar but toxic Zigadenus, or Death Camas, and rogued it out of their cooking fields. It would be difficult to confuse Camassia with Zigadenus in bloom, but the bulbs are another matter. All Camassia are easy to grow in well aerated humus and full sun. They don't mind slopes, but are more robust in moist lowlands. Once they've bloomed, they tolerate a fairly dry summer. If you want camas in hundreds or thousands, please order at least a year in advance. If you like Camassia, please take a look also at Bellevalia, Fessia, Hyacinthoides, Hyacinthus, Muscari and Scilla. |
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Photograph © Pat Woodward |
Camassia
cusickii S. Wats. Cusick's camas. Impressive wands of pale
blue flowers with yellow anthers tower in May-June above big skirts of
rustling strap leaves. Native to the Blue and Wallowa mountains of eastern
Oregon. Our plants are of garden origin. The bulbs, up to 5 cm (2")
across, are much larger than those of other Camassia. Alas, they are said to
taste from blah to horrible. Height 60-90 cm (24-36"). Zone 5.
Bulb (Fall shipping only). $2.50 |
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Photograph © Dorrie Woodward
Photograph © Paige Woodward |
Camassia
leichtlinii (Bak.) S. Wats. Great camas, blue form. Tall
wands of deep blue flowers with mauve anthers rise in May-June above
rustling strap leaves. Native from British Columbia to California. Our
plants are from seed wild-collected in BC. Our upper photograph shows C.
leichtlinii in a marsh near Courtenay, BC. The lower two
show it in our garden. Height to 1 m (3').
Zone 5. Award of Garden Merit (Royal
Horticultural Society) 1993.
Bulb (Fall shipping only). $2.50 |
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Photograph © Dorrie Woodward
Photograph © Pat Woodward |
Camassia quamash (Pursh.)
Greene. Common
camas. Quamash. This is the camas most commonly eaten, and the one easiest to grow outside its native range. It blooms with us in May.
Here you see it blooming on Denman Island (above) and Thetis Island in SW
British Columbia. The species is native from SW
BC to Wyoming and Utah. The blue of the flowers varies. Our plants are from
seeds collected in BC. Height 30-60 cm (12-24"). Zone 5.
Bulb (Fall shipping only). $1.00 |
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This page was updated March 28, 2008. |
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