Plants 10–50 cm tall.
Leaves 10–30 cm × 7–20 mm, glaucous adaxially.
Inflorescences sterile bracts 0–2.
Flowers corollas variably bilateral, sometimes radial; tepals 15–25(30) × 3–6 mm, pale blue to deep blue-violet, withering connivently and separating in fruit, veins 3(5); anthers usually bright yellow.
Fruits erect on pedicels and positioned close to stem, 10–20 mm.
Seeds 5–10 per locule.
Full sun in wet, marshy meadows, stream banks, ditches. Flowering May–Jul. 100–2300 m. BR, BW, Casc, ECas, Owy, Sisk. CA, ID, NV, WA. Native.
as described under Camassia quamash ssp. breviflora
Leaves 10-17 mm wide, glaucous adaxially. Flowers actinomorphic or zygomorphic; tepals connivent over capsules after anthesis, usually forced apart again by capsule growth, bright blue to deep bluish violet, each 3- or occasionally 5-veined, 15-20 × 3-5 mm; anthers bright yellow, 4-5 mm; fruiting pedicel incurving-erect, 5-15 mm. Capsules 7-16 mm. Seeds 5-10 per locule.Flowering mid--late spring. Wet meadows; 700--2500 m; Calif., Nev., Oreg., Wash.