HOME ABOUT LISA BERRY CONTACT INFO GIFT IDEAS LINKS REVIEWS REFERENCES Alpine Buttercup Alpine Gold Alpine Heather Alpine Lily Brown's or Wild Peony Camas Lily Corn Lily Crimson Columbine Elephant Heads Great Red Paintbrush Green Gentian Large-Leaf Lupine Little Elephant's Head Mariposa Lily Monkshood Mountain Bluebells Mountain Jewelflower Prairie Smoke Ranger Buttons Red Mountain Heather Rock Fringe Rosy Sedum Showy Penstemon Sierra Gooseberry Sierra Primrose Sierra Shooting Star Sierra Wallflower Snowplant Steer's Head Swamp Onion Towering Larkspur |
Scientific Name: Camassia quamash Common Name: Camas Lily Family: Lily Color: Blue to Purple Description: This star-shaped flower consists of three long petals with three indistinguishable sepals. Bright yellow anthers protrude from a green ovary. Habitat: Wet meadows that dry out by the end of spring. Edibility/Toxicity: The sweet-tasting bulbs were a staple of many Native Americans, particularly local Washoe, who pressed the bulbs into a cookie-like treat for festivals and celebrations. Comments: As livestock destroyed camas lily fields, the flower became the center of disputes between settlers and Native American tribes, affecting harvest rights, trade, and religious issues. |