Great camas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Great camas |
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| Great camas inflorescence | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Camassia
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| Species: |
leichtlinii
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| Synonyms | |
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Camassia esculenta var. leichtlinii Baker |
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Camassia leichtlinii, also known as the great camas or large camas, is a beautiful flowering plant. It belongs to the Asparagaceae family, which includes asparagus. This plant is a herbaceous perennial, meaning it has soft stems and grows back every year. You can find it growing naturally in western North America. This includes British Columbia in Canada, and the states of California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington in the USA.
What is Great Camas?
Great camas is a plant that grows from a bulb, much like an onion. It can grow quite tall, reaching between 24–48 inches (61–122 cm) in height. Its leaves are long and narrow. They grow in a cluster at the base of the plant, forming what looks like a rosette.
The flowers grow in a tall, spike-like cluster. This cluster sits on a stem that has no leaves. Sometimes, people might confuse great camas with another similar plant. This plant is called Camassia quamash, and it grows in the same areas.
How Great Camas Lives
This plant needs a good amount of water in the spring. However, it can handle dry weather later in the year. This happens after its seed pods are ready and its leaves dry out.
Wildfires can actually help camas plants. Fires help the plants grow back. They also clear away other plants that might compete for space and sunlight.
Can You Eat Great Camas?
Yes, the bulbs of the great camas plant are edible. But they must be cooked for a long time. Traditionally, people would bake them in fire pits. This cooking could take at least three hours. Sometimes, it would even take one to three days!
Important Safety Warning: You must be very careful not to confuse great camas with a plant called meadow death-camas. Meadow death-camas looks similar but is deadly poisonous. Never eat any wild plant unless an expert has identified it as safe.
