Flora of Oregon

Herbs perennial, 10–130+ cm tall; bulbs solitary or rarely clustered; tunics brown or black.

Stems scapose, erect, glabrous.

Leaves basal, 3–20, lanceolate to linear, 15–60 × 0.5–5 cm, glabrous, margins entire, keeled.

Inflorescences solitary, racemes bracteate or rarely with small side branches; sterile bracts 0–7, present along entire scape below raceme.

Flowers 2–130 or more, symmetry radial, bilateral, irregular, or rarely biradial; sepals often longer and narrower than petals; tepals free, 6, blue, blue-violet to nearly purple, or white, withering connivently or separately, deciduous or persisting on raceme; veins 3–9; ovary superior, locules 3, nectaries septal; stamens 6; stigma lobes 3.

Fruits capsules, globose to oblong, round to triangular in cross section, sometimes strongly veined at dehiscence.

Seeds ovate-obovate, 6–36, black, lustrous.

2n=30.

North America. 6 species; 4 species treated in Flora.

Although small, the genus Camassia is diverse in Oregon, which supports all western species and all but two of ten traditionally recognized subspecies. Multiple broad phylogenetic studies confirm placement of camas in Agavaceae (=Agavoideae, Asparagaceae; APG 2009, Bogler et al. 2006) as does the presence of a similar bimodal karyotype (McKain et al. 2012, Ranker & Hogan 2002). Camassia forms a strongly supported monophyletic clade sister to the rush lilies, Hastingsia (Archibald et al. in press, Halpin & Fishbein 2013), yet species delimitation remains challenging given high morphological and genetic variability, habitat diversity, and potentially recent radiation (Fishbein et al. 2010, Sultany et al. 2007, Uyeda & Kephart 2006). Spring-blooming camas meadows host a diverse assemblage of bee pollinators and are now part of restoration efforts where accurate identification is critical.

Flora of North America

as described under Camassia

Cmassia has been associated with other western North American genera of Liliaceae such as Schoenolirion, Hastingsia, and especially Chlorogalum (F. Speta 1998; M. Pfosser and F. Speta 1999), but recent molecular evidence (D. J. Bogler and B. B. Simpson 1996; M. F. Fay and M. W. Chase 1996) suggests that it may be related instead to the Agavaceae. Furthermore, the bimodal, 2n = 30 karyology of Camassia (A. Fernandez and J. R. Davina 1991) is similar to that of Agavaceae (D. Satô 1935) and not that of Chlorogalum.Camassia bulbs have been an important food staple for native Americans, especially in the Pacific Northwest (G. R. Downing and L. S. Furniss 1968; N. J. Turner and H. V. Kuhnlein 1983), where bulbs were dug and traded on large encampment meadows. Similarity to the poisonous bulbs of Zigadenus ('death camas') is a concern where ranges of the two genera overlap. Several Camassia species are cultivated and represent a major horticultural contribution from the native flora.Variation and intergradation of C. angusta and C. scilloides have been reviewed by T. A. Ranker and A. F. Schnabel (1986), as well as J. A. Steyermark (1961), R. O. Erickson (1941), and F. W. Gould (1942).