Introducing Great Camas (camassia Lechtlinii)

The name may be unglamorous but the blooms are definitely fabulous

. This is how the great camas (Camassia leichtlinii), which is also known by other equally unglamorous names the most notable of which is quamash, can be described. Indeed, don't judge a plant by its name!

The great camas' scientific name is in honor of Maximilian Leichtlin, a German botanist, who was a keen grower of hybridized bulbous plants. It must be emphasized, however, that the great camas is native to North America where it is most common from British Columbia to California.

At present, there are two known sub-species, namely, leichtlinii with white flowers and suksdorfii with blue to purplish flowers. There are several cultivars under these two sub-species as well such as the Lady Eva Price.

The great camas is so named because it is the tallest species in the genus Camassia, which consist of 6 species with names like Indian hyacinth and wild hyacinth. It stands so tall - 120 centimeters long - that it is the best of the genus for naturalizing purposes in areas with long grasses. Its main habitat, nonetheless, are damp meadows.

The plant has both ornamental and practical uses. It was a food source for native peoples in North America wherein the bulbs were either boiled or roasted in the pit. The bulb has a taste profile similar to baked sweet potato but sweeter and with greater amount of crystalline fibers. The bulbs can also be dried and then pounded into flour.

But before cooking a great camas, be sure that it is actually a great camas. This is because a similar-looking but deadly plant known as the death camus can cause fatal symptoms.

Nowadays, the great camas is cultivated more for its ornamental value - its flowers, of course - than for its culinary uses. The star-shaped flowers are in a riot of colors - creamy white, vivid blue, pale purple, and pastel green - all beautiful in their own right. Did we mention that the flowers can be double, too, so their beauty is also doubled?

The plant has leaves measuring 2.5 centimeter wide and 60 centimeters long. Its seeds are black, ovoid and measures 2 millimeters in length.

The great camas is, indeed, great in so many ways. Its purple flowers coupled with hardy qualities make it one of the best additions to your garden.

by: Robert Hamilton

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