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Camas Lily (Camassia quamash): Blue Spires for Moist Meadows

Overview

Camassia quamash, the common camas lily, produces tall spikes of star-shaped blue flowers in late spring. Historically an important food source for Indigenous peoples, it thrives in moist, open meadows.

Taxonomy

Family:	Liliaceae (lil-ee-AY-see-ee)
Genus:	Camassia (kuh-MAS-ee-uh)
Species:	quamash (KWA-mash)

Cultivation

Plant bulbs in autumn in heavy, moisture-retentive soil; full sun. Naturalizes in wet meadows.

Bulbs: Regal Lily (Lilium regale): Fragrant White Trumpets with Gold Throat; Crinodonna Lily (× Amarcrinum memoria-corsii): Hybrid Vigor & Beauty; Madonna Lily (Lilium candidum): Historic Symbol of Purity; Voodoo Lily (Amorphophallus bulbifer): Bizarre Inflorescence & Bulbils; Spider Lily (Hymenocallis speciosa): Fragrant White Stars; Philippine Lily (Lilium philippinense); Henry's Lily (Lilium henryi); Leichtlin's Lily (Lilium leichtlinii); Barbados Lily (Hippeastrum puniceum): Tropical Amaryllis; Foxtail Lily (Eremurus bungei)

Garden Articles

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum cannifolium): Popular Houseplant

Surprise Lily (Lycoris x houdyshellii): Late Summer Blooms on Naked Stems

St. Christopher Lily (Crinum jagus): Fragrant White Trumpets

Peruvian Lily (Eucrosia bicolor): Red and Green Flowers

Nepal Lily (Lilium nepalense): Greenish Flowers with Purple Throat

Karoo Lily (Ammocharis coranica)

Glacier Lily (Erythronium grandiflorum)

Plants

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii): The Elegant, Air-Purifying Houseplant

Blood Lily (Haemanthus coccineus)

Aztec Lily (Sprekelia formosissima): Orchid-Like Scarlet Blooms

Oxblood Lily (Rhodophiala bifida): Fall's Scarlet Schoolhouse Lily

Easter Lily (Lilium longiflorum): Classic White Trumpets of Spring

Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum): Spring's Yellow Woodland Gem

Black Calla Lily (Arum palaestinum): Dramatic Dark Purple Spathe