Camas
(Scientific Name: Camassia
quamash & Camassia leichtlinii)
Description:
Perennial plants 1-2 feet tall with bright blue flowers which
form showy, spike-like racemes. The un-branched stems and basal,
grass-like leaves 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide, grow from ovate bulbs about
1 inch wide.
Habitat: Wet fields and meadows and along
streams. Blooms from May through June, depending on the elevation.
Uses: The bulbs can be baked, roasted, dried
or eaten raw. Indians baked the bulbs in heated pits and then dried
them for future use. The bulbs have a good flavor and are
nutritious, but tend to be quite gummy when prepared by any but the
Indian method. Before or after flowering, the bulb might be confused
with the poisonous death-camas
so collect these plants when they are blooming.
