Camassia quamash

(Pursh) Greene

Western Camass, Quamash, Camass lily

Asparagaceae Edible: Root, Bulb 13,102 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Camassia quamash, commonly known as camas, kwetlal, small camas, common camas, common camash or quamash, is a perennial herb. It is native to western North America in large areas of southern Canada and the northwestern United States.

Description

A plant with a bulb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 25-90 cm high and 10-15 cm wide. It has grass-like leaves. It forms large clumps. The leaves are blue-green and 50 cm long. They all grow from the base and are 5-15 mm wide. The flower spikes are blue. The flowers are 5 cm across. The flowers are star shaped. The fruit are dry capsules with shiny black seeds. The bulbs are 3-5 cm across. The bulb is edible.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Root Edible Uses: Bulb - raw or cooked. The bulb, which can be up to 5cm in diameter, has a mild, starchy flavour when eaten raw, but a gummy texture that reduces the enjoyment of it somewhat. When cooked, however, it develops a delicious sweet flavour somewhat like sweet chestnuts, and is a highly nutritious food. Excellent when slow baked, it can also be dried and made into a powder which can be used as a thickener in stews or mixed with cereal flours when making bread, cakes etc. The bulbs can be boiled down to make a molasses, this was used on festival occasions by various Indian tribes. The bulbs can be harvested at any time of the year, but are probably best in early summer when the seeds are ripe. One report says that the bulbs contain inulin (a starch that cannot be digested by humans) but that this breaks down when the bulb is cooked slowly to form the sugar fructose which is sweet and easily digested. Quamash bulbs were a staple food of the N. American Indians. The tribes would move to the Quamash fields in the early autumn and, whilst some people harvested the bulbs, others would dig a pit, line it with boulders then fill it with wood and set fire to it. The fire would heat the boulders and the harvested bulbs would then be placed in the pit and the whole thing covered with earth and the bulbs left to cook slowly for 2 days. The pit would then be opened and the Indians would feast on the bulbs until they could no longer fit any more in their stomachs. Whatever was left would be dried and stored for winter use.

Traditional Uses

The bulbous root is eaten raw, boiled or baked. They can be used in pies. They can be boiled down to a syrup or pounded into cakes that are sun dried for future use. Caution: This plant should not be confused with death camass (Zigadenus venenosus).

Medicinal Uses

Birthing aid Oxytoxic A decoction of the roots has been used to induce labour. An infusion of the leaves has been used to treat vaginal bleeding after birth and to help expel the placenta.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. Plants can grow in full sun or light shade. It does best in moist but not waterlogged soil. It is resistant to frost and sensitive to drought. It suits hardiness zones 5-9.

Where It Grows

Australia, Canada, Europe, France, North America*, Slovenia, Tasmania, USA,

Cultivation

The bulbs are planted 10 cm deep and plants spaced 20-25 cm apart.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. The seed can also be sown in a cold frame in spring. It usually germinates in 1 - 6 months at 15°c, but it can be erratic. Sow the seed thinly so that it does not need to be thinned and allow the seedlings to grow on undisturbed for their first year. Give an occasional liquid feed to ensure that the plants do not become nutrient deficient. When the plants are dormant in late summer, pot up the small bulbs putting 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for another one or two years in a cold frame before planting them out when dormant in late summer. Offsets in late summer. The bulb has to be scored in order to produce offsets.

Other Uses

Notable Products: Nectar, pollen, edible bulb. Attracts Wildlife - flowers attract beneficial insects. Grown as an ornamental plant. Special Uses Attracts Wildlife Food Forest

Other Information

An important food of native Americans.

Notes

It is low in starch and high in sugar. There are 6 Camassia species. Also put in the family Hyacinthaceae.

Synonyms

Camassia esculenta Lindl. not Rob.

Also Known As

Blue Quamas, Camosh, Common Camass, Navadni kamas, Paazigo, Swamp sego, Wild hyacinth

References (36)

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Brickell, C. (Ed.), 1999, The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Convent Garden Books. p 213

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