Camassia (quamash)

Scott M Lambert Research Scientist USDA NRCS - Pullman Plant Materials Center PO Box 646410 Pullman, Washington 99164-6410 lamberts@wsu.edu http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/wapmc

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Family Scientific Name:	Liliaceae
Family Common Name:	Lily Family
Scientific Name:	Camassia quamash
Common Name:	Common Camas
Species Code:	CAMQUA
Ecotype:	n/a
General Distribution:	Common camas occurs in wet prairies and meadows across much of western Canada and the northwestern US; great camas generally only occurs west of the Cascade Mountains. Other botanical varieties or subspecies have been described for the northwestern US (Hitchcock and others 1969). Common camas grows in wet meadows, wet prairies, swales, depressions, annual floodplains, moist hillsides, and along streambanks. Camas habitat is often wet ephemeral, usually drying out by late spring. It naturally occurs from southwestern British Columbia to northern California, east to Montana, Wyoming, and Utah. It is found from near sea level to 3300 meters (10,800 feet) in the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada Mountains. Common camas inhabits moist meadows, rocky outcrops, bluffs, and islands in southwestern British Columbia. In eastern Washington and northern Idaho, it occurs in wet prairies and wet meadows, historically very common in the Camas Prairie and the Palouse Prairie.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Propagules (seeds, cuttings, poles, etc.)
Time To Grow:
Target Specifications:	Stock Type: Seedling<br> Height: n/a<br> Caliper: n/a <br> Root System: Firm plug in container.<br>
Propagule Collection:	Common camas propagates easily from seeds. It can be collected as soon as the pods mature (turn light brown) or split open to reveal the mature black seeds. Pods ripen from late May to July depending on latitude, longitude, moisture conditions, and elevation. Dry seeds can be stored frozen or in a cool, dry place prior to planting (Watson 1988).
Propagule Processing:	We estimate 287,000 (ñ 66,000) seeds per kg (130,000 ñ 30,000/lb) for Camassia quamash ssp. breviflora Gould.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Camas seed requires 42 to 100 d of cold, moist stratification (1 to 4 øC [34 to 40 øF]) for maximum germination (90 to 100%) (Emery 1988; Thoms 1989; Deno 1993; Guerrant and Raven 1995; Northway 1998). "Moist stratification" means placement of dry seeds in layers of a moist medium at cool temperatures to allow for moisture uptake and to break seed dormancy. Germination itself also requires cool conditions and can occur in the dark (Northway 1998). An alternative is to plant seed outdoors in the fall (September to October). One-leafed, grass-like seedlings will emerge in February or March under suitable conditions where winters are comparatively mild. Germination occurs in early May in Montana or at 4 øC (40øF) (Wick and others 2000). Seedlings require moisture through the spring growing period to survive. Warm temperatures during seedling development can be lethal.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Suggested site preparation methods and seeding rates for wetland revegetation are notwell known, but in at least 1 unpublished study an estimated seeding rate was determined (Darris, unpublished data). At the Corvallis Plant Materials Center in Oregon, Darris used a broadcast rate of 210 live seeds per m2 (20/ft2) for both Camassia sub-species and found poor to good seedling counts the following spring (0 to > 105 per m2 ( 0 to > 10/ft2). Seedling success was dependent on weed competition, hydrology, type of disturbance, mulch, erosion, or other factors. Camas seedling establishment appeared inhibited by dense stands of perennial ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam. [Festuceae]) but benefited from a thin mulch (straw) of tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) Beauv. [Festuceae]) and less plant competition, at least on well-drained, stable, slightly higher ground. In areas with wet, mild winters, soil scarification for shallow seed coverage or just constant moisture from irrigation or winter rains can result in good germination. At least 1 western Oregon grower sows seeds directly on the soil surface in fall (Robinson 1999).
Establishment Phase:	However, growers in Idaho have found that a 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) covering of organic mulch is required during the first growing season to protect the tiny bulblet from exposure to dry soil, surface cracking, and extreme temperatures. Sawdust or a chemically killed dense stand of grass works well (Watson 1999). Seeds buried deeper than 1 to 2 cm (0.4 to 0.8 in) will not germinate successfully (Watson 1988).
Other Comments:	Camas has been used for human food and trade, wildlife food, medicinal purposes, conservation plantings, and site restoration. Cultivars of common camas are available in the flower bulb industry. Camassia quamash `Orion' has deep blue flowers. The flowers of `San Juan form' are an even deeper, more vibrant blue (Brenzel 1995). Another common camas variety has a white flower. ETHNOBOTANIC USES: Historically, camas was an extremely important native plant and continues to be one of the most important
References:	Ethnobotany, culture, management, and use of common camas,Stevens, M.,Darris,D.,and Lambert,S.Native Plants Journal, Spring 2001. Brenzel KN, editor. 1995. Sunset western garden book. Menlo Park (CA): Sunset Publishing Corporation. p 200. 512 p. Bryan J. 1989. Bulbs. Portland (OR): Timber Press. 430 p. Craighead JJ, Craighead FC, Davis RJ. 1963. A field guide to Rocky Mountain wildflowers. Boston (MA): Houghton Mifflin Company. Deno NC. 1993. Seed germination theory and practice. State College (PA): self-published and self-distributed. p 110. De Hertogh AA, Noone C, Lutman A. 1990. Camassia. In: Geophyte, Version 2.2. Raleigh (NC): North Carolina State University, Department of Horticultural Science. 8 p. De Hertogh AA, Gallitano LB, Pemberton GH, Traer ME. 1993. Guidelines for the utilization of flowering bulbs as perennial (naturalized) plants in North American landscapes and gardens. Hillegom, Netherlands: Holland flower bulb technical services, Netherlands Flower Bulb Center (IBC). Bulletin No. 37. De Hertogh AA, Le Nard M. 1993. Chapter 37, general chapter on spring flowering bulbs. In: DeHertogh AA, Le Nard, editors. The physiology of flower bulbs. New York (NY): Elsevier Science Publishing Co. 734 p. Emery DE. 1988. Seed propagation of native California plants. Santa Barbara (CA): Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Farr DF, Bills GF, Chamursi GP, Rossman AY. 1989. Fungi on plants and plant products in the United States. St Paul (MN): The American Phytopathological Society Press. 1252 p. Guerrant EO Jr, Raven A. 1995. Seed germination and storability studies of 69 plant taxa native to the Willamette Valley wet prairie. Portland (OR): The Berry Botanic Garden. 65 p. Gunther E. 1973. Ethnobotany of western Washington. Seattle (WA): University of Washington Press. Seattle University of Washington Publications in Anthropology 10(1). Harbinger LJ. 1964. The importance of food plants in the maintenance of Nez Perce cultural identity [MSc thesis]. Pullman (WA): Washington State University. 82 p. Hitchcock CL, Cronquist A. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. An illustrated manual. Seattle (WA): University of Washington Press. 730 p. Hitchcock CL, Cronquist A, Ownbey M, Thompson JW. 1969. Vascular plants of the Pacific Northwest: part 1. Seattle (WA): University of Washington Press. 914 p. [ITIS] Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 2000. Biological names. Version 4.0 [on-line database]. URL: http://www.itis.usda.gov/plantproj/itis/itis-query.html (accessed 7 Nov 2000). Kruckeberg AR. 1996. Gardening with native plants of the Pacific Northwest, 2nd edition. Vancouver (BC): Greystone Books/Douglas and McIntyre and University of Washington Press. 282 p. Kuhnlein HV, Turner NJ. 1991. Traditional plant foods of Canadian indigenous peoples. Nutrition, botany, and use. Vancouver (BC): Gordon and Breach Science Publishers. 633 p. Moulton GE, editor. 1983. The journals of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Volume 8, June 10 - September 26, 1806. Lincoln (NE): University of Nebraska Press. Murphey E, Van Allen V. 1959. Indian uses of native plants. Ukiah (CA): Mendocino County Historical Society. 81 p. Northway S. 1998. Personal communication. Corvallis (OR): Oregon Native Plant Society. Piper CV. 1916. Notes on Quamasia with a description of a new species. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 24:77. Robinson R. 1999. Personal communication. Lorane (OR): Balance Restoration Nursery. Thoms A. 1989. The northern roots of hunter-gatherer intensification: camas and the Pacific Northwest [PhD dissertation]. Pullman (WA): Washington State University. 521 p. Turner NJ, Bell MAM. 1983. The ethnobotany of the southern Kwakiutl Indians of British Columbia. Econonomic Botany 27:257-310. Turner NJ, Efrat BS. 1982. The ethnobotany of the Hesquiat Indians of Vancouver Island. Victoria (BC): British Columbia Provincial Museum. Cultural Recovery Paper No. 2. Turner NJ, Kuhnlein HV. 1983. Camas (Camassia spp.) and riceroot (Fritillaria ssp.): two Liliaceous "root" foods of the Northwest Coast Indians. Ecology of Food and Nutrition 13:199-219. Turner NJ, Thompson LC, Thompson MT, York AZ. 1990. Thompson ethnobotany: knowledge and usage of plants by the Thompson Indians of British Columbia. Victoria (BC): Royal British Columbia Museum. Memoir No. 3. 335 p. USDA NRCS. 1999. The PLANTS database, Version 3.0. URL: http://plants.usda.gov/plants (accessed 30 Oct 2000). Baton Rouge (LA): National Plant Data Center. Watson RD. 1999. Personal communication. Moscow, Idaho. Wick D, Luna T, Evans J, Hosokawa J. 2000. Propagation protocol for Camassia quamash; Glacier National Park Native Plant Nursery, West Glacier, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: http://nativeplants.for.uidaho.edu (accessed 30 Oct 2000). Moscow (ID): University of Idaho Forest Research Nursery. <2> Other Camas References Guard JB. 1995. Wetland plants of Oregon and Washington. Redmond (WA): Lone Pine Publishing. 239 p. Pojar J, MacKinnon A. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alaska. Redmond (WA): Lone Pine Publishing and the British Columbia Ministry of Forests 527 p.

Citation:

2000. Propagation protocol for production of Propagules (seeds, cuttings, poles, etc.) Camassia quamash plants USDA NRCS - Pullman Plant Materials Center Pullman, Washington. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/07/01). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.