Camassias are perennial bulbous plants in the Asparagus family, Asparagaceae, that also includes yucca, bluebell and spider plant. They are native to the US where they grow in moist meadows across the nation in all major regions except New England. Plants grow 12 to 50″ tall and have a basal rosette of strap-shaped linear leaves that are 8-32″ long, appear in the early spring and tend to wither after flowering. In summer, multiple flowers are carried in terminal racemes above the foliage. Each flower is star-shaped and has six white to pale lilac to deep purple or blue-violet petal-like tepals. The flowers are often good in the vase.
Although Camassia prefers full sun they tolerate partial shade as well as short term wet and clay soil . They are fairly cold-hardy and resistant to pests and diseases. The bulbs produce offsets that can be used to propagate the plants but seed is a possibility too if waiting several years for flowering is acceptable. The genus name, Camassia, comes from the Native American Indian name of kamas or quamash for a genus whose bulb was once used by native Americans and settlers as a food source. Photo Credit: Txllxt TxllxT, Wikimedia Commons
The environmental conditions on the Pacific Coast have resulted in four native species of Camassia there but they may be native to other regions also. The Camassias described here are native to at least one state on the Pacific Coast.
Cusick’s quamash (Camassia cusickii)
Linear, strap-shaped leaves 10-20″ long form a basal rosette in spring. A terminal raceme 1.5-2.5′ tall carries up to 100 flowers in various shades of blue to cream or white flowers with showy yellow anthers. Each flower is 3/4-1″ across and consists of 6 oblong tepals that spread widely, forming a star-shape. The flowers are attractive to pollinators including butterflies and hummingbirds. Unlike other species of Camassia, the bulb-like root of C. cusickii was not used as a food source by Native Americans probably because it is slimy and has a bitter taste.
Alternate Name/s: Cusick’s camas
Native Range: Oregon as well as in the Rocky Mountain area
Habitat: Pond edges, damp meadows at subalpine and alpine elevations
Type: Perennial
Height: 24-30″
Bloom Time: April to May
Bloom Color: Sky blue, cream, white
Light: Full sun to part shade
Soil: Fertile, consistently moist, well-drained soils, acidic
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Howell’s camas (Camassia howellii)
Four to seven basal leaves are linear and 8-24″ long. Flowering stalks up to 19.5″ long carry terminal reacemes of up to 100 flowers. Each flower has yellow to violet anthers surrounded by five dark bluish violet, occasionally white, narrow tepals that are .4 to .8″ long .
Alternate Name/s: None
Native Range: Endemic to southwestern Oregon
Habitat: Swampy ground, serpentine soil, wet meadows, and transitional areas
between wet meadows and coniferous woodlands
Type: Perennial
Height: 20″
Bloom Time: Late spring
Bloom Color: Blue-violet, occasionally white, with yellow or violet anthers
Light: Sun to part shade (?)
Soil: Seasonally wet to medium moist (?)
USDA Hardiness Zones: 8-? (guestimate based on geographic location)
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Great Camus (Camissia leichtlinii)
Narrow leaves up to 2′ long form a sizable cluster of basal leaves. Terminal racemes carry numerous star-shaped flowers above the leaves. The flowers are 2″ across and have six pale to deep lavender-blue tepals surrounding a green center with yellow anthers.
Alternate Name/s: Large Camas
Native Range: Washington, Oregon, and California as well as areas in the Rocky Mountain area.
Habitat: Wet meadows, woods, prairies, moist hillsides, and streamside areas; wet conditions may dry up in late spring
Type: Perennial
Height: 24-48″
Bloom Time: Late spring
Bloom Color: White, ivory, blue or purple, most with yellow anthers
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Fertile, moist
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Common camas (Camassia quamash)
Up to nine linear, grass-like leaves form a basal clump. The leaves are 4-24″ long and may have a pale, waxy coating. Terminal racemes carry numerous star-shaped flowers that are 1″ across and have 6 pale to deep blue to violet tepals. The lowest of the 6 tepals curves outward and downward away from the others.
Alternate Name/s: Kwetlal, small camas, camas, common camash, quamash, blue camas, prairie camas, eastern camas, small-flowered camas, dark camas
Native Range: Washington, Oregon, and California as well as sites in the Rocky Mountain area
Habitat: Meadows, swales, depressions in prairies, and slopes that are moist in early spring but may become dry by late spring
Type: Perennial
Height: 8-36″
Bloom Time: Mid to late spring
Bloom Color: Pale to deep blue to violet
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Humusy, medium moist, well-drained
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
The three states of the Pacific coast, Washington, Oregon and California, have a great variety of geography and climate. The key factors uniting these states are the coastline along the Pacific Ocean and the presence of numerous mountain ranges. The area of the Pacific coast includes rainforests as well as semi-arid plateau and deserts. The climate varies with the geography with average annual rainfall ranging from over 130″ to less than 2″. Precipitation can be in the form of rain or snow. Likewise, summer temperatures can be over 110 F in Death Valley and down to -70 F in the mountains.