Common Camas

Common Camas (Camassia quamash)
SENĆOŦEN (Saanich First Nations Language): ḰȽO¸EL

Common Camas (ḰȽO¸EL) is a native perennial wildflower that features star-shaped blue/purple flowers. It thrives in moist meadows and prairies, preferring well-drained, loamy clay soils. The plant is well-adapted to the seasonal rain patterns to the Vancouver Island area, and goes into dormancy during the dry summer conditions. ḰȽO¸EL plays an important ecologic role by providing nectar for pollinators. W̱SÁNEĆ peoples traditionally harvest the ḰȽO¸EL bulbs as an important and significant root vegetable food source, high in carbohydrates with a sweet, nutty flavor. It is also part of rituals and gatherings, such as the W̱SÁNEĆ PENÁW̱EṈ – Moon of the Camas Harvest. The harvest marks a time where families travelled to camas harvest locations. ḰȽO¸EL harvest plots provide edible camas bulbs as well as fresh gull eggs laid in ḰȽO¸EL fields. Learn more about the Moon of the Camas Harvest here.

ḰȽO¸EL requires 2-5 years to mature before providing beautiful visible blooms when grown from seed, varying on growing conditions. Young bulbs were planted in YYJ Pollinator Garden in 2022, and we patiently wait for these beautiful flowers to be observed. Please enjoy the beauty of this plant from afar as harvesting requires traditional knowledge and sustainable practices.

Light conditions: Full sun
Blooms: April-June
Habitat: Meadow
Sowing time: Sow in fall for spring germination, cold stratification needed.
Complementary plants: California Oatgrass, Western Buttercup, Woolly Sunflower, Yarrow, Field Chickweed

View our full garden guide below.