Extension ServiceCamassia quamash (common or small camas)
General
Bulb-forming perennial plant that produces erect flowering stems up to 3 feet tall.
Leaves
Narrow and grass-like, grow up to 2 feet long from the base of the plant.
Flowers
Six narrow, blue-violet petals form a star-shape. Flowers are arranged in a raceme on the flowering stem.
Bloom
April to June.
Ecology
Grows in moist areas that are often dry by late spring, particularly grassy slopes and meadows at low to middle elevations.
Pollinators
Attracts bumble bees, mason bees, hover flies and beetles. Oregon Bee Atlas participants have documented many mason and bumble bee species visiting Camassia throughout Oregon.
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