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| ## COMMon camas {#common-camas .Title-Header}                         |
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| *Camassia quamash* (Pursh) Greene ssp. *beviflora* Gould              |
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| Plant Symbol = CAQUB2                                                 |
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###### *Contributed By: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center & Corvallis (OR) Plant Materials Center*

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.6972222222222224in"
height="3.6659722222222224in"}

##### Alternative Names

small camas, blue camas; *Camassia esculenta*.

**Warning:** [Death camas (*Zigadenus venenosus*) can be confused with
edible camas bulbs and is toxic]{.underline}. Be sure of your
identification of camas bulbs before eating them!

##### Uses

*Ethnobotanic*: Camas was and continues to be one of the most important
\"root\" foods of western North American indigenous peoples, from
southwestern British Columbia to Montana, and south to California
(Kuhnlein and Turner 1991). The part of the plant that was relished is
actually a bulb. Camas was used by Northwest Coast peoples, the Coast
Salish of Vancouver Island, western Washington groups,

Squamish, Sechelt, Comox, and Kwak-waka\'wakw of the British Columbia
coast. Camas was considered to be one of the most important bulbs to
local California natives. The Maidu particularly valued great camas.

Except for choice varieties of dried salmon, no other food item was more
widely traded (Gunther 1973). People traveled great distances to harvest
the bulbs and there is some suggestion that plants were dispersed beyond
their range by transplanting (Turner and Efrat 1982; Turner et al.
1983). To the Nez Perce people, camas is still the most important root
in trade, and trading is traditionally impossible without camas bulbs
(Harbinger 1964). Dried camas is the most expensive form of camas, with
baked and then raw camas being less expensive. At marriage trades, the
girl's family gives roots in corn husk bags. At funeral trades, the
widow gives camas roots to friends and relatives. The Nez Perce traded
camas roots with the Warm Springs, Umatilla, Cayuse, Walla Walla,
Nespelem, Yakama, Crows, and Flatheads.

The bulbs were usually dug after flowering, in summer, although some
peoples dug them in spring. Harvesting the bulbs traditionally took
weeks or months among the Nez Perce. Each family group \"owned\" its own
camping spot and harvesting spot. These were passed down in families
from generation to generation. Turf was lifted out systematically in
small sections and then replaced after only larger bulbs had been
removed. The bulbs were dug with a pointed digging stick. Bulbs were
broken up and replanted. Annual controlled burning was used to maintain
an open prairie-like habitat for optimum camas production. Areas were
harvested only every few years.

Traditionally, camas bulbs were almost always pit-cooked. Within the
past 100 years, camas bulbs have also been cooked by stovetop methods
(Turner and Kuhnlein 1983). The bulbs are allowed to cook for 24-36
hours when pit-cooked (Turner and Bell 1971). It is probable that
lengthy cooking is necessary for maximum conversion of the inulin in
*Camassia* to fructose. The sweetness of cooked camas gave it utility as
a sweetener and enhancer of other foods. Before sugar, European traders
introduced molasses, and honey. Sweetening agents were in short supply
among native peoples, and camas was highly valued in this capacity.
Sometimes other foods, such as the rhizomes of springbank clover
(*Trifolium wormskioldii*) and the roots of Pacific silverweed
(*Potentilla anserina* ssp. *pacifica*) were cooked with the camas
bulbs. The Kalapuyan of the Willamette Valley in Oregon used to flavor
camas with tarweed (*Madia elegans*). Bulbs don't keep well fresh. They
were cooked or sun-dried and stored for later use. Sometimes camas bulbs
were pressed flat and made into camas cakes the size of biscuits before
being dried (Turner et al. 1983). Dried bulbs were re-constituted by
soaking in water, usually overnight.

Many of the traditional camas gathering sites, such as Weippe Prairie
and Camas Prairie in Idaho and the Willamette Valley in Oregon, have
been converted to agriculture. The average size of a camas patch needed
to feed a five person family was 2.7 ha (Thoms 1989). Camas roots are
hard to find now. Restoration of camas prairies and access to camas
bulbs are priorities of many Indian people. At one time, "When camas was
in bloom in wet meadows, the flowers grow so thickly that they look like
a blue lake" (Murphey 1959).

Camas stalks and leaves were used for making mattresses. It was
sometimes used in place of grass when baking camas in pits. Camas is
used by the Nez Perce as a cough medicine. It is boiled, and the juice
is strained and mixed with honey.

*Ornamental*: Horticulturally, this plant is used for cut flowers, beds,
borders, ground cover, rock gardens, and prairie restoration.

*Wildlife*: Elk, deer, and moose reportedly graze camas early in the
spring (Craighead, Craighead, and Davis 1963). Gophers eat camas and
move the bulbs to another area where they sprout and grow the next year
(Watson 1988). Indian women in Oregon's Umpqua Valley robbed camas bulbs
from gopher caches (Piper 1916). Herbivorous insects also eat camas
leaves.

###### 

##### Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status, such as, state noxious
status, and wetland indicator values.

##### Description

*General*: Lily Family (Liliaceae). Common camas (*Camassia quamash*
ssp. *breviflora*) is a stout, robust, 12-28 inches (30-70 cm) tall
plant with a dense inflorescence. Camases are liliaceous, perennial
herbs that grow from an edible bulb. The leaves are long and narrow,
grass-like, and emerge from the base. Common camas flowers are light to
deep blue; more than 3 flowers in an inflorescence may be open at one
time. Camas flowers have 6 tepals, 6 stamens, and 3 stigmas. The
inflorescence is a spike-like cluster borne on a leafless stem that is
held above the leaves. Common camas is distinguished from great camas
(*Camassia quamash* ssp.*quamash*) by the following: the flowers are
slightly irregular, with the lowest tepal curving outward away from the
stem; the anthers are bright yellow; the plant is relatively short and
stout, with shorter flower stalks and smaller bulbs; and there is no
waxy powder on the leaves. Common camas blooms from April through June.
The fruits are barrel-shaped to three-angled capsules, splitting into
three parts to release many black, angled seeds.

##### Distribution

Common camas grows in wet meadows, wet prairies, swales, depressions,
annual floodplains, moist hillsides, and streamside areas. Camas habitat
is often ephemeral, drying out by late spring. Common camas grows
throughout the American West to southwest Alberta, Montana, Wyoming, and
Utah at elevations below 3300 meters. The southern limit of its range in
California is the high Sierra Nevada Mountains and Modoc Plateau. In
British Columbia, common camas is found in moist meadows, rocky
outcrops, bluffs, and islands in southwestern British Columbia, mainly
on southwestern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. For current
distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on
the PLANTS Web site.

##### Establishment

Common camas can be propagated from seeds or bulbs. Common camas
generally prefers full sun to partial shade, with bulb depth ranging
from 2-8 inches (most commonly 4-6 inches deep). The bulbs of common
camas can be substantially smaller in size and occur at more shallow
soil depths than great camas. Bulb depth appears limited by shallow
water tables, anoxic conditions, or restrictive layers. The occasional
occurrence of a large, thick root beneath a bulb may aid in re-locating
or re-establishing it at a greater depth. Plants require irrigation or
moist soil conditions to become established, and camas can be difficult
to establish in California.

###### Live Plant (Bulb) Collections

Common camas is readily established by transplanting wild or
commercially grown bulbs. Wild harvests should be restricted to salvage
sites with appropriate approvals or permits. Due to loss of wetland
habitat throughout the United States, harvesting plants from the wild is
rarely appropriate or legal except under salvage situations. Use of
bulbs or seeds from local nurseries or greenhouses is strongly
recommended.

The best time to excavate bulbs is from early summer through mid-fall.
This is the "quiescent" period that follows seed maturation, foliar
senescence, and development of the daughter bulb. However, commercial
bulb harvest takes place when the leaves are still green and must be
done carefully to avoid damage. The bulb tunic or covering is very thin
(De Hertogh and Le Nard 1993). Given that camas commonly occupies sites
high in silt and clay that dry out in summer, windows for digging are
often narrow. There is a brief period when soils are moist after
flowering in the spring; the next time to harvest is in the fall after
the rains begin. Store the bulbs in a dry, dark, cool, well ventilated
place in a potting medium such as dry peat moss, similar to
recommendations for fall planted/spring flowering bulbs (such as
daffodils and tulips). Keep the bulbs from completely drying out and
transport or store at 63-68° F (De Hertogh, Noone and Lutman 1990).
Common camas reproduces vegetatively by offset bulblets (De Hertogh et.
al. 1993). However, much less than one percent of a wild population may
produce offsets and bulbs may be stimulated to do so only as the result
of a wound (Thoms 1989).

Plant camas outdoors in the fall or early winter, when soils are moist
enough to dig and prevailing soil temperatures are cool. This is
generally below 60°F. Fall planting allows for better root development
and fulfillment of any chilling requirement for flowering (De Hertogh
et. al. 1993). Bulbs, bulblets, and offsets can be utilized. However, if
flowering is desired the following spring, bulbs must be of sufficient
age (3-5 years old with 3-4 bulb leaves or scales) and size (Thoms
1989). Bulb leaves are laminate concentric layers that comprise much of
the bulb, reminiscent of an onion. Bulbs with just two bulb leaves never
flower, those with three routinely flower, and those with four almost
always flower. Older bulbs will be found deeper in the ground, and bulbs
which flower will probably be at least 0.6-0.8 inch (1.5-2.0 cm) wide
(Thoms 1989). In the commercial bulb trade, the minimum size for export
and thus flowering is a circumference of 2.4 inches (6 cm) (De Hertogh
and Le Nard 1993). This is roughly equivalent to a diameter of 0.75 inch
and about one-half the diameter and circumference of great camas.

The larger the bulb, the greater the planting depth can be. Planting
depth ranges from 0.5-1 inches for 1-2 year old bulblets up to 4-6
inches for mature bulbs (as measured to their base). Larger bulbs (1.5
inches in diameter or greater) can be planted deeper (8-10 inches) if
drainage is appropriate. Commercial production involves planting from
October to November in well drained soil of pH 6-7 with at least 2%
organic matter, covering with at least 3 inches of soil above the bulb
"nose", applying 2 inches of straw mulch, fertilizing with 7-14-28
fertilizer four weeks after planting, and harvesting in July (De
Hertogh, Noone and Lutman 1990). Keep the camas bed damp until it gets
warm. Once plants senesce after flowering, stop watering so seeds form
and bulbs cure. Suggested spacing for flower beds and naturalized
landscapes vary from 3-4 inches apart (8-10 per sq. ft.) to 6-8 inches
apart. Other publications recommend 6-8 bulbs every 12 inches for
outdoor gardens. A dense "natural" stand may have 9 plants/sq. ft.
(100/sq. meter) or more (Thoms 1989). It may be necessary to bury bulbs
with a protective wire mesh to prevent herbivory. The mesh needs to be
coarse enough to allow shoots to grow through (De Hertogh et. al. 1993).

###### Seed Collections

Common camas propagates easily from seed. It can be collected as soon as
the pods mature (turn light brown) or split open to reveal the mature
black seeds. Pods ripen from late May- July depending on latitude,
longitude, moisture conditions, or elevation. Dry seeds can be stored
frozen or in a cool, dry place prior to planting.

Camas seed requires 42-100 days of cold temperatures (34-40°F) under
moist stratification for maximum germination (90-100%)(Emery 1988,
Guerrant and Raven 1995, Deno 1993, Northway pers. comm. 1998, Thoms
1989). "Moist stratification" means placement of seeds which are
"imbibed", or have soaked up water, in layers of a moist medium at cool
temperatures to allow for after-ripening. Germination also requires cool
conditions and can occur in the dark (Northway pers. comm. 1998). The
alternative is to plant seed outdoors in the fall (Sept-Oct).
One-leafed, grass-like seedlings will emerge in February or March under
suitable conditions. Seedlings require moisture through the spring
growing period to survive. Warm temperatures during seedling development
can be lethal.

Suggested site preparation methods and seeding rates for wetland
revegetation are not well known, but a broadcast rate of 20 live
seeds/sq. ft. for both *Camassia* sub-species resulted in poor to good
seedling counts the following spring (0-10 or more seedlings/sq. ft.)
(Darris, pers. comm., 1999). Seedling success was dependent on weed
competition, hydrology, type of disturbance, mulch, erosion, or other
factors. Camas seedlings were inhibited by dense stands of live grass
such as *Lolium multiflorum*. However, seedlings appeared to benefit
when grown in the mulch of native grass (*Deschampsia cespitosa*), at
least on well-drained, stable, slightly higher ground (*Ibid*). In areas
with wet, mild winters, soil scarification for shallow seed coverage or
just constant moisture from irrigation or winter rains can result in
good germination. At least one grower sows seed directly on the soil
surface in the fall (Robinson pers. comm. 1999). However, other growers
have found that a 1-2 inch covering of organic mulch is required during
the first growing season to protect the tiny bulblet from exposure to
dry soil, surface cracking, and extreme temperatures. Sawdust or a
chemically killed dense stand of grass works well (Watson pers. comm.
1999). Seeds deeper than 0.4-0.8 inch (1-2 cm) will not germinate
successfully (Watson 1988).

*Seeds per pound*: *Camassia quamash* ssp. *breviflora* -- 131,000 (+/-
20,000)

##### Management

Camas is favored as forage by deer so fencing or repellents may be
useful, particularly during the first growing season. Consistent soil
moisture is required every spring, but the soil can be allowed to dry
out soon after the pods mature or the leaves senesce (dry up and turn
brown). Moderate soil nutrient levels are beneficial. In natural
settings, minor soil disturbance (loosening, surface scarification)
adjacent to existing specimens may enhance natural regeneration by seed.
Late summer field burning (where and when permitted) may improve stand
vigor, reduce competition from brush and certain weeds, and aid in
regeneration. For optimal bulb development, avoid mowing or grazing more
than lightly, if at all, even during foliar senescence. Individual
plants may live 15-20 years.

*Traditional Resource Management* (TRM) was often intensive, to the
point of being considered "semi-agricultural" by some. According to Dr.
Nancy Turner, TRM included the following:

-   Ownership, demarcation, and inheritance of beds or patches,

-   Clearing of rock, brush, and weedy vegetation,

-   Harvesting bulbs after seeds were produced, during specific times of
    the year,

-   Periodic field burning in summer after digging,

-   In some cases, sod removal then bulb removal followed by sod
    replacement,

-   Digging or "cultivation" to keep the soil loose,

-   "Selective breeding" by transplanting "better" bulbs to the beds,

-   Sustainable harvest techniques, including partial, selective
    harvests and incidental or planned promotion of camas colonization
    and reproduction, and

-   Death camas bulbs (*Zigadenus venenosus*) were removed, so they
    wouldn't accidentally be mistaken for the edible camas bulbs.

##### Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

CAQUB2 is readily available through native plant nurseries within its
range. Cultivars of common camas are available from the flower bulb
industry. *Camassia quamash* 'Orion' is deep blue, while those of 'San
Juan Form' are an even deeper, more vibrant blue. There is also a white
form (Benzel 1995). Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation
Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more
information. Look in the phone book under "United States Government."
The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the
subheading "Department of Agriculture."

##### References

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Bryan, J. 1989. *Bulbs* (2 volumes). Timber Press, Portland, Oregon.

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\<http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=2643&one=T\>.
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Cooke, S.S. (ed.) 1997. *A field guide to the common wetland plants of
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Washington.

##### Prepared By

###### *Michelle Stevens*

Formerly USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

*Dale C. Darris*

Corvallis Plant Materials Center, Corvallis, Oregon

##### Species Coordinator

###### *M. Kat Anderson*

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

c/o Plant Science Department, University of California, Davis,
California

Edited 05dec00 jsp; 01may03 ahv; 31may06 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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