Sierra Wild Flowers - Lake Tahoe
  Camas Lily    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.

Wildflower: Camas Lily

Sierra Wildflower: Lily

Camassia quamash