Camassia quamash var. brevifolia
Camas

Family: Liliaceae (Lily family)

Photo taken at Leavenworth Ski Hill, moist open meadow

Flowers:

in bracteate racemes; tepals alike, narrow, light blue, whithering after anthesis and not covering the ovary; anthers bright yellow; perianth segments 15-20 mm; scape generally 1-3 dm, raceme up to 6 dm

Leaves:

less than 10 linear-lanceolate leaves, glabrous mostly 3-6 cm

Plant:

perennial; scapose; 2-13 dm tall. Bulbs were pit cooked and eaten or dried for future use by the Okanagan-Colville, Okanagon, Yakama, and Thompson.

Habitat:

moist areas often where dry by late spring

Distribution of species:

southern British Columbia to California, both east and west of the Cascades, east to Montana, Wyoming, and Utah

Distribution of genus:

more or less 4 species: North America