The Soap Plant The Soap Plant or Amole Chlorogalum pomeridianum A rosette of wavy blue-green leaves is often the most noticeable part of the soap plant. The leaves may grow up to 2 feet long, flattened against the ground. Dainty blue-veined white flowers appear successively up the stalk, opening briefly in the afternoon. The large deeply seated bulb is covered with coarse fibers.
Soap plant grows in dry open places throughout the Sacramento region.
Indians had many uses for this plant. The bulb was baked for food, and the coarse fibers were used to make brushes. The crushed bulb made a soapy lather that was used as a shampoo. This same material was used to help catch fish. It was put into low flowing streams where it would get into the gills of fish so they could not breathe.