Blue Camas

Camassia quamash

Illustration: Blue camas (Camassia quamash) blue flowers and bulbs

Identification: Spring meadows of blue-purple star-shaped flowers on tall stalks; grass-like basal leaves; deep bulbs. Blooms in spectacular sheets.

Dangerous look-alikes: DEATH CAMAS (Toxicoscordion/Zigadenus) — DEADLY, grows in the same meadows. Death camas flowers are smaller, WHITE/cream, and its bulbs lack the camas membrane. THE RULE: if it isn't clearly blue-purple in bloom, don't dig. Dig only while flowering so you can see the color. See the High-Risk Index plate.

Edible parts: Bulbs (pit-cooked).

Season and habitat: Spring bloom (for ID); bulbs traditionally dug after bloom. Moist mountain meadows.

Preparation: Pit-cook bulbs 24–48 hours — slow heat converts inulin to sweet fructose; undercooked bulbs cause gas and cramps. A sacred staple of Plateau tribes; harvest lightly and only where abundant.

Notes: The most dangerous bulb harvest in this book — the death-camas rule is absolute.