Camassia Sp. - Camas

• Family: Asparagaceae (Previously in Liliaceae) ^[E-flora]

"Perennial herb; bulb 1 [or clustered (each bulb has 1 leaf-cluster, 1 scape, or both, so no need to dig up bulbs to make this determination)], coat black or brown." "+/- 6 species, 4 in northwestern North America. (chamass, qám'es, or quamash, Native American word) [Uyeda & Kephart 2006 Syst Bot 31:643–655] California species highly variable, may hybridize, in need of study; bulbs traded among, eaten by Native Americans, perhaps creating local forms." ^[Jepson]

KEY TO CAMASSIA

1. "Tepals (petal-like segments) twisted together around ovaries after flower wither; flowers more or less radially symmetric; fruiting stalks longer than the bracts"............... Camassia leichtlinii ssp suksdorfii
1. "Tepals spreading apart, not twisted together around ovaries after flowers wither; flowers weakly bilaterally symmetric; with 5 tepals curving upward and 1 pointing downward; fruiting stalks shorter than the bracts".............Camassia quamash

^[Jepson]

"The two camas species [Camassia quamash & C. leichtlinii]are distinguishable mainly by flower characteristics: the tepals of the great camas eventually twist together to cover and protect the fruit, while those of the common camas do not, and the common camas has 5 tepals curved upward and the 6 th curved downward." [PCBC2004]

Local Species;

1. Camassia leichtlinii ssp suksdorfii - great camas ^{[E-flora][PCBC][TSFTK]}
2. Camassia quamash - Common camas ^{[TSFTK][PCBC][E-flora]} & ssp maxima ^[E-flora]

Species Mentioned: Blue Camas (or Camass) (including Common Camas,Camassia quamash,and Great, or Leichtlin's Camas,C. leichtlinii ^{[Turner&Kuhnlein]} C.leichtlinii (Wild hyacinth), C.quamash (Quamash) and C.scilloides [ARA]

Hazards

"Death camas (Zigadenus venenosus), a bulb-bearing plant also in the lily family, often grows in the same habitat as the edible blue camas species, especially on southern Vancouver Island. The flowers are different, being cream-colored and in more compact heads, but the bulbs are very similar, and are highly toxic and potentially fatal. Anyone wishing to eat blue camas bulbs should be extremely careful not to confuse them with those of death camas." ^{[Turner&Kuhnlein]}

"A major concern was the possibility of confusing the bulb with that of the edible blue camas. Paul (1968) described how to distinguish between the two: the Camassia bulb has a thin light-brown skin, while that of Zygadenus is pure white." [Turner&Bell1]

Edible Uses

Bulbs:They were a staple food of the Coast Salish. ^{[Turner&Kuhnlein]} "Camassia spp. (edible camas); Liliaceae—temperate woodlands, oak parklands, W N America; bulbs cooked and eaten by many Indigenous peoples as a staple; main carbohydrate is inulin, a complex sugar based on fructose units." [ETWP]
Harvesting: The bulbs were usually dug after flowering, in summer, although some peoples dug them in spring. The bulbs were dug with a pointed digging stick; only the larger ones were taken, and the smaller ones were left to grow. ^{[Turner&Kuhnlein]}
Preparation: The bulbs almost always pit-cooked, usually for 24 hours or more. The Blackfoot left them in the pit with a fire burning overtop for up to 70 hours. Because most of their carbohydrate is in the form of a long-chain sugar, inulin, which is not very digestible, nor very palatable, long term cooking was necessary to chemically break down the inulin into its component fructose molecules. Fructose, a common sugar of fruit and honey, is both easily digested and sweet tasting. Thus, whereasthe raw bulbs are barely usable for human food, the properly cooked bulbs are markedly sweet tasting, and much more digestible. ^{[Turner&Kuhnlein]}
The cooked bulbs could be served right away or sun-dried for storage or trade. The cooked bulbs were described as "something like a prune and a chestnut". The bulbs were often served with oil; for example, the Nuu-chah-nulth (Westcoast) people served them with whale or seal oil, and, in more recent times, with corn oil. Sometimes the bulbs were flattened or broken into pieces before drying. The dried bulbs were reconstituted by soaking in water or by cooking in soups and stews with meat or fish. ^{[Turner&Kuhnlein]}

"Their bulbs are edible, raw or cooked, and are excellent baked with a delicious sweet chestnut flavour." [ARA]

"Quamash is also dried and made into a powder, which is used as a thickener in stews or mixed with cereal flours when making bread." [Prance TCHP]

"Camas (Camassia quamash and C. leichtlinii) was featured in families’ seasonal harvesting rounds, trade and reciprocity relations between communities and families, feasting, language, and stories. There was much traditional knowledge about its ecology and management. Formerly, camas patches were cleared and tended (Babcock 1967–1969), and people harvested the bulbs tremendous quantities: hundreds of thousands of bulbs annually from southern Vancouver Island (Deur and Turner 2005)." [Apostol RPNW]

Camassia quamash, C. leichtlinii; "Camas was the most important vegetable food used by the Vancouver Island Salish. It was abundant and easy to gather. It was virtually the only extensive source of starch in a diet which was mainly fish and meat, and was as important to the Indians as the potato is to white people. Most of the camas used by the Island Salish was gathered from coastal bluffs or, particularly after the coming of the white man, from small off-shore islands. The Songish used to dig their bulbs from the grasslands of Beacon Hill Park, and the Saanich dug theirs from many of the smaller Gulf Islands, such as Mandarte and Arbutus Islands (Suttles, 1951). Areas over rock were usually preferred because the bulbs were not very deep. The bulb beds were generally divided into family plots, which were passed down from generation to generation. These plots, although not actually farmed, were cleared of stones, weeds, and brush from year to year." [Turner&Bell1]

Camassia quamash, C. leichtlinii; "Neither of these species grows in the territory of the Kwakiutl (Taylor, 1966), but the bulbs were apparently obtained by trade from the Coast Salish Indians of the Comox-Courtenay area, where they were a staple food (Turner & Bell, 1971). The Kwakiutl probably cooked them in the same way as their Coast Salish neighbours, by steaming them in pits. Boas (1921) stated that the name, mfit'exsdi, was somehow related to that of Abies grandis." [Turner&Bell2]

Phytochemistry

"Saponins of chlorogenin (887, Table 2.8) glycosylated only at C-6 are present in the bitter-tasting bulbs of Camassia cusickii (Liliaceae). They also contain glycosides of (25R)-6a-hydroxy-5a-spirostan-3-one (1061) and (25R)-3,3-dimethoxy-5a-spirostan-6a-ol (1062). This latter is a ketal form of the carbonyl compound 1061 and is claimed not to be an artifact of the isolation process (Mimaki et al. 1991). [Hostettmann Saponins]

Cultivation
Extensive patches of camas on southern Vancouver Island and the offshore islands were maintained by burning and clearing of brush. ^{[Turner&Kuhnlein]} "enhanced by periodic landscape burning" [Turner KIL]

"The Indians of the Pacific Northwest selectively harvest camas (Camassia spp.) bulbs, leaving the smaller ones behind for future harvests, and historically fired the prairies to improve the quality and numbers of the bulbs.39" [Anderson TTW]

"Camas (Camassia quamash and Camassia leichtlinii) was particularly important for most tribes. In the spring after a fire, a higher proportion of camas plants flower than in unburned adjacent areas (Jancaitis 2001). It appears that plants from the lily family respond to fire physiologically by producing more flowers and possibly more seed." [Apostol RPNW]

"On southern Vancouver Island, there is also evidence that people re-planted the smaller bulbs of camas (Camassia spp.), selecting only the large ones to cook and eat. Some people also talked about planting the seed stalks in the upturned ground when the bulbs were being harvested in the summertime (Babcock 1967; Stern 1934:42-43; Suttles 1951a,b)." [FCTM USDA]

Great Camas - Camassia leichtlinii

Identification
"Camassia leichtlinii is a BULB growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in).
It is hardy to zone (UK) 3 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf 8-Mar It is in flower from Jun to July, and the seeds ripen in July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil."[PFAF]

"General: Perennial herb from a deep, egg-shaped bulb 2-4 cm long; flowering stems 20-100 cm tall, smooth." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
"Leaves: Basal leaves several to numerous, linear-lanceolate and grass-like, to 60 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, smooth, sheathing at the base, the margins entire; stem leaves lacking." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
"Flowers: Inflorescence a terminal raceme of 5 to many, stalked flowers, the stalks 1-4 cm long, spreading in flower, spreading to ascending in fruit; flowers pale to deep blue, rarely white, of 6 similar, distinct tepals, the tepals 20-40 mm long, 5-10 mm wide, twisting together over the ovaries when withered; stamens 6; pistil 1, 3-chambered." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
"Fruits: Capsules, egg-shaped to oblong, cross-ridged, 1-2.5 cm long; fruiting stalks often longer than bracts, spreading to ascending, curved in towards stem; seeds several to many, shiny black, 2-4 mm long." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}

Status: Native ^[E-flora]

Habitat / Range "Vernally moist meadows in the lowland zone; locally frequent on SE Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, one report also from adjacent mainland (Sechelt Peninsula); S to CA." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}

Ecological Indicator Information "Shade-intolerant, submontane to montane, Western North American forb distributed more in the Pacific than the Cordilleran region. Species occurs in maritime to submaritime summer-dry cool mesothermal climates on moderately dry to fresh, nitrogen­rich soils (Moder and Mull humus forms). Scattered to plentiful in open-canopy Garry oak stands on water-shedding sites; occurrence decreases with increasing elevation and precipitation. Also inhabits meadow­like communities where early spring moisture is followed by mid-summer drought; occasionally found around vernal pools, springs, and intermittent streams." (Information applies to coastal locations only)^{[IPBC-E-flora]}

Edible Uses

"raw or cooked[94, 105, 177]. The bulb is about 3cm in diameter[270], eaten raw it has a mild, starchy flavour, but a gummy texture that reduces the enjoyment of it somewhat[K]. It is excellent when slow baked, however, developing a sweet flavour and making a very good potato substitute[183, 256, K]." ^[PFAF]"Bulbs are eaten raw, boiled, baked, fried, used in pies" [EMNMPV.9]

Preservation: "The cooked bulb can also be dried for later use[183] or ground into a powder and used as a thickener in soups or as an additive to cereal flours when making bread, cakes etc[161]." ^[PFAF]

Molasses: "The bulbs can be boiled down to make a molasses, this was used on festival occasions by various Indian tribes[183]." ^[PFAF] "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[256]." ^[PFAF]

Great Camas – Camassia leichtlinii ^{[Turner&Kuhnlein]}

Cultivation "A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in almost any soil[42] and is tolerant of considerable neglect once it is established[K]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a rather heavy loam[1] that has plenty of moisture in spring but does not remain wet over the winter[138, 200]. Dislikes dry soils[200]. Prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade[138, 200]. A very ornamental plant[1], there are many named varieties[200]. Plants often self-sow[K]. A good bee plant[108]. Plants can be naturalized in damp grass, this should not be trimmed until mid to late summer when the bulbs have flowered and the leaves have died down[134]. This species can be confused with certain poisonous bulbs in the genus Zigadenus[85]. Plant the bulbs 7 - 10cm deep in early autumn and then leave undisturbed[1]. The bulbs should be planted about 20cm deep[233]."[PFAF]

Propagation: "Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[134]. The seed can also be sown in a cold frame in spring[134]. It usually germinates in 1 - 6 months at 15^oc, but it can be erratic[138]. 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."[PFAF]

Common Camas - Camassia quamash

Introduction "This gorgeous true blue BC native has starry lily-like flowers on slender stems in spring from a tuft of grass-like foliage. This species was an important food crop of the First Nations cultures that lived in and around the southern coastal parts of our province. Garry oak meadows and rock outcrops. Coastal mountain forests and wet meadows inland. Marshy meadows in coniferous forest to 2300m." - Gary Lewis, Phoenix Perennials ^[E-flora]

• Status: Native ^[E-flora]
  
• Synonyms
  
  • Camassia esculenta 3/3 Confidence. April 8, 2014 ^{[ThePlantList.org]}

General: "Perennial herb from a deep, egg-shaped bulb 2-4 cm long; flowering stems 20-70 cm tall, smooth." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
Leaves: "Basal leaves several to numerous, linear-lanceolate and grass-like, to 50 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, smooth, sheathing at the base, the margins entire; stem leaves lacking." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
Flowers: "Inflorescence a terminal raceme of 5 to many, stalked flowers, the stalks 1-2 cm long, spreading in flower, ascending to erect in fruit; flowers pale to deep blue, rarely white, weakly bilaterally symmetric, of 6 similar, distinct tepals, the tepals 15-40 mm long, 2-8 mm wide; stamens 6, anthers yellow to violet; pistil 1, 3-chambered." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
Fruits: "Capsules, egg-shaped to oblong, cross-ridged, 1-2.5 cm long; fruiting stalks shorter than the bracts, ascending to erect, curved in towards stem; seeds several to many, shiny black, 2-4 mm long." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
Habitat / Range
"Mesic to vernally moist meadows and grasslands in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; locally frequent on SE Vancouver Island (ssp. azurea rare in peatlands on W Vancouver Island), the Gulf Islands and SE BC; E to AB and S to MT, ID and WA." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}

Notes:
Two subspecies are known from BC:

• 1. Tepals 3- to 5-veined, mostly less than 6 mm wide, usually less than 30 mm long; stalks appressed in fruit; plants from the dry interior........................ ssp. quamash
  
• 1. Tepals 5- to 9-veined, mostly more than 6 mm wide, usually more than 30 mm long; stalks ascending to somewhat spreading in fruit; plants from the coast....................... ssp. maxima Gould ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
  

Ecological Indicator Information
"Shade-intolerant, submontane to montane, Western North American forb distributed more in the Pacific than the Cordilleran region. Species occurs in maritime to submaritime summer-dry cool mesothermal climates on moderately dry to fresh, nitrogen-rich soils (Moder and Mull humus forms). Scattered to plentiful in open-canopy Garry oak stands on water-shedding sites; occurrence decreases with increasing elevation and precipitation. Also inhabits meadow-like communities where early spring moisture is followed by mid-summer drought; occasionally found around vernal pools, springs, and intermittent streams." [IPBC]^[E-flora]

Edible Uses

• Root: "raw or cooked[62, 95]. The bulb, which can be up to 5cm in diameter[270], has a mild, starchy flavour when eaten raw, but a gummy texture that reduces the enjoyment of it somewhat[K]. When cooked, however, it develops a delicious sweet flavour somewhat like sweet chestnuts[92], and is a highly nutritious food[2]." ^[PFAF] "When boiled this little root is palatable and somewhat resembles the taste of the common potato" [EMNMPV.9] "The Straits Salish cooked pieces of madrone [Arbutus menziesii] bark with the bulbs of camas (Camassia quamash) to color the bulbs pink." [Derig WBOTW]
• "Camas was the most important vegetable food used by the Vancouver Island Salish. It was abundant and easy to gather.... Most of the camas used by the Island Salish was gathered from coastal bluffs or, particularly after the coming of the white man, from small off-shore islands. The Songish used to dig their bulbs from the grasslands of Beacon Hill Park, and the Saanich dug theirs from many of the smaller Gulf Islands, such as Mandarte and Arbutus Islands (Suttles, 1951). Areas over rock were usually preferred because the bulbs were not very deep. ...These plots, although not actually farmed, were cleared of stones, weeds, and brush from year to year."[Turner&Bell]
  • Preparation: "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[K]. The bulbs can be boiled down to make a molasses, this was used on festival occasions by various Indian tribes[2, 183]. The bulbs can be harvested at any time of the year[85], but are probably best in early summer when the seeds are ripe[94]. 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[256]." ^[PFAF] The Indians sometimes boiled the bulbs down to form a syrup, but usually baked them in pits with the "fireless cooker" method they so often used. The pit was dug according to the amount of material (perhaps 6-10 feet wide and 2-3 feet deep) and lined with stones. Then a fire was built inside and stones allowed to get very hot. The stones were then covered with a layer of grass or other vegetation, the bulbs placed in the pit, covered with another layer of grass and finally with dirt. Sometimes water was poured on the mass, with a hole left for the steam to escape. A fire was sometimes built on the top to keep things good and hot. After from 12 hours to 3 days the pit was opened. The bulbs came out brown or blackish in color, and apparently were rich in sugar content. They were eaten at once or allowed to dry for storage. ^[Harrington] "They are generally prepared by boiling or roasting, but the Indian method is probably the best. They dig a hole and line the bottom and sides with flat stones, then build a fire over it. When the stones get thoroughly heated, they rake out the embers, put in a lining of green leaves and place the Camass bulbs upon them. These are covered with more green leaves and the whole heaped over with earth and left to steam for a day and a night. The earth and leaves are then scraped off, and the bulbs carefully removed. This method is used by the Indians in cooking both vegetables and meats." ^[EWP]
  • "The bulbs were usually cooked in the stone-lined earth pit where they baked for twenty-four hours or more. When taken out, they were soft and darkish brown in color and very sweet and nutritious. The cooked bulbs were either eaten straight from the "oven" or could be pressed into cakes and dried in the sun, and were thus preserved in the same manner that the In- dians of the south preserved the Mescal. The cooked bulb is said to have the Bavor of chestnut." [EUCP]
    
    • "We found the raw bulbs were crisp and quite palatable although we must admit not exceptionally so. We boiled them for 25 minutes and found them pleasant tasting, but they were some-what gummy and mucilaginous, annoying us somewhat by sticking to the teeth after chewing. We roasted the bulbs in aluminum foil at 350°F. for 45 minutes and thought that they were about the same as boiled. The Indian method of steaming and roasting sounds the best to us. Camas bulbs seem to be lacking in starch but they are high in sugar content." ^[Harrington]
    • "Harvest late winter. Long, slow cooking makes the bulbs much more digestible – for example, use a slow cooker for 12 hours or more. Once cooked, the flavour and texture is similar to sweet potato." [Crawford FFFG]
  • Preservation: The bulbs could also be pounded into cakes which could be sun-dried for future use. ^[Harrington]
  • Historical Use: "Quamash bulbs were a staple food of the N. American Indians[42, 92]. 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." ^[PFAF]
  • Harvesting: One reads conflicting accounts of just when the bulbs were collected, but apparently they are edible at any season. It is better to take them in flower when the plants are conspicuous and readily identified, but we have used them when the pods were almost full sized. ^[Harrington]
    

Nutritional Information

Common Camas – Camassia quamash ^{[Turner&Kuhnlein]}

Medicinal Uses

• Root:
  • "A decoction has been used to induce labour[257]." ^[PFAF]
    
• Leaves:
  • "An infusion has been used to treat vaginal bleeding after birth and to help expel the placenta[257]." ^[PFAF]

Cultivation

"Succeeds in almost any soil[42]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a rather heavy loam[1] that has plenty of moisture in spring but does not remain wet over the winter[138, 200]. Dislikes dry soils[200]. Prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade[138, 200]. The dormant bulbs are very hardy and will withstand soil temperatures down to at least -10^oc[214]. Quamash is a very pretty flowering bulb that has quite a large potential as an edible ornamental plant[K]. It grows very well in the flower border but can also be naturalised in damp grass[134]. We are intending to grow it in a grassed-down orchard in our Cornish trial ground. The bulbs flower in late spring and early summer and have completely died down by early July so they do not interfere with harvesting the apple crop. The grass in the orchard will be cut in early spring before the quamash comes into growth, but will not be cut again until July. The bulbs will be harvested at any time from July to December and, since it is impossible to find all the bulbs, it is hoped that those remaining will be able to increase and supply bulbs for future years[K]. A polymorphic and very ornamental plant[1], there are some named varieties[200]. The subspecies C. quamash maxima has larger bulbs than the type, up to 65mm in diameter[270]. A good bee plant[108]. This species can be confused with certain poisonous bulbs in the genus Zigadenus[85]. Plant the bulbs 7 - 10cm deep in early autumn and then leave undisturbed[1]." ^[PFAF]

"Traditional gathering sites for the edible bulb camas (Camassia quamash) are ancient in California. The low genetic variability in populations of the species in the Sierra Nevada is probably a result of the trading and selective harvesting practices of various tribes over long periods—a demonstration of both dispersal and selection (Susan D’Alcamo, botanist, pers. comm. 1993)." [Anderson TTW]

Propagation

"Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[134]. The seed can also be sown in a cold frame in spring[134]. It usually germinates in 1 - 6 months at 15^oc, but it can be erratic[138]. 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." ^[PFAF]

Journals of Interest

• BECKWITH B. “The queen root of this clime”: ethnoecological investigations of blue camas (Camassia leichtlinii (Baker) Wats., C. quamash (Pursh) Greene; Liliaceae) and its landscapes on southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia [unpublished PhD dissertation]. Victoria (BC): Department of Biology, University of Victoria; 2004.

References

• [E-flora] http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Camassia%20leichtlinii&redblue=Both&lifeform=7, Accessed March 31, 2015
• E-flora - http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Camassia%20quamash&redblue=Both&lifeform=7, Acccessed March 31, 2015
• [Jepson2012] Dale W. McNeal 2012. Camassia, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_IJM.pl?tid=9495, accessed on Apr 8 2014
• [PFAF] http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Camassia+leichtlinii, Accessed March 30, 2015
• PFAF - http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Camassia+quamash, Accessed March 30, 2015