Camassia quamash – blue camas

This showy blue flower in the lily family creates a hardy bulb for 3-4 years before flowering.  It can be started in a pot and then transplanted out in a couple of years.  Its bulb is surprisingly hardy and resilient to transplant shock at this point.  Blue camas was a primary food source for native peoples in the northwest.  Its starchy bulbs can be baked into a sugary cake that is then transportable.  It was highly valued for bartering and saved the lives of the Lewis and Clark expedition when they nearly starved in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana.   It will tolerate extra water and some shade, especially if the soils are well-drained.  (perennial / Plant fall or winter)
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Blue_Camas camqua.text Camassia quamash germinant
camqua.map Camassia quamash Early Growth
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Camassia quamash
Camassia quamash
Genus species: Camassia quamash
Common name: blue camas
Price: $3.99 per packet
Quantity:  
Camassia quamash Mature Growth