Cold hardiness

Heat tolerance

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 40 ecoregions — 35 climate-resilient through 2070 · 5 suited today. Best matches first.

What it needs

Lifecycle

Pollination

Insect-pollinated — the NC State Extension Plant Toolbox describes the flowers as attracting pollinators and "bee friendly," and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center flags Camassia quamash as a plant of special value to native bees. (Camas is generally reported as self-incompatible / outcrossing, relying on bees to move pollen between plants for a full seed set; the cited horticultural pages do not state a breeding-system requirement, so treat seed set as bee-dependent rather than assuming self-fertility.)

Plants don't grow alone

For people

The bulb of Camassia quamash is edible and was a staple food of Indigenous peoples across its range — the genus name derives from the Native American "kamas"/"quamash" for the food bulb (NC State Extension; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center). Camas bulbs were traditionally pit-roasted for long periods, which converts the indigestible inulin to digestible sugars, so it is an edible-with-prep food rather than a raw snack. CRITICAL look-alike caution: camas grows alongside the toxic death camas (Toxicoscordion / Zigadenus), whose bulbs are deadly and easily confused when the plants are not in bloom — never harvest camas bulbs without expert identification.

Native range

Climate notes

In the designer

Seasonal interest

University extension service

Photo · CC BY-SA 3.0

Botanical research database