Camassia Quamash Views

General Goods

Quamash (Camassia quamash), also known as Small Camas, is a perennial herb in the family Liliaceae. It is one species of the genus Camassia and is native to western North America in large areas of southern Canada and the northwestern United States, from British Columbia and Alberta to California and east from Washington state to Montana and Wyoming.

FIRE EFFECTS SPECIES: Camassia quamash IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : Fire presumably top-kills common camas. DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : NO-ENTRY PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : Common camas on the palouse prairie of eastern Washington increases with frequent fire [1]. Data regarding common camas postfire recovery are lacking. DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : NO-ENTRY FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Because growth and flowering occur in spring and early summer, short-interval fires in spring or early summer would probably reduce common camas populations. Northwest Coast Indians reportedly set fires annually. This optimized common camas production by maintaining an open prairie [20,21].

Camassia Quamash are edible bulbous perennial plants. New research may suggest that they belong to the Agavaceae family rather than the Liliaceae family as previously believed. Quamash bloom from early spring to late summer. They are mostly native to North American marshes, fields, and meadows. Several deep blue clusters of loose flowers unfold atop stems that usually reach one to two feet tall. The flowers are six-point star-shaped and the leaves are almost grass-like.

Camassia quamash may also be grown from seeds. This process can be accomplished by sewing seeds directly to the ground or by first stratifying them. Stratifying is a process of preserving the seeds with moist vermiculite, sand, or some other sterile media and then keeping them in cool places such as refrigerators for long periods of time prior to planting. This is done to breakdown seed dormancy. As in most cases when sewing seeds directly to the ground moisture preciseness becomes vital to seed survival. It can take anywhere from one to six months for seeds to germinate depending on the cultivation process and climate. Stratified seeds that begin to root should be planted right away.