Camassia scilloides explained

Camassia scilloides is a perennial herb known commonly as Atlantic camas, wild hyacinth, and eastern camas.[1] It is native to the eastern half of North America, including Ontario and the eastern United States.[1]

Description

The species produces inflorescences up to half a meter tall from a bulb wide.[2] It has a few leaves, each up to NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches) long. The flowers have light blue or whitish tepals and yellow anthers. The green or brown capsule is up to a centimeter long and divided into three parts.

Uses

Native American groups used the bulbs for food, eating them raw, baked, roasted, boiled, or dried.[3] They can be used in place of potatoes, but could possibly be confused for poisonous deathcamas.

Taxonomy

The superseded name Camassia esculenta (Ker Gawl.) B.L.Rob. (nom. illeg.)[4] should not be confused with Camassia esculenta (Nutt.) Lindl., a superseded name for Camassia quamash subsp. quamash.[5]

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101518 Camassia scilloides.
  2. Book: Elias, Thomas S.. Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods. Dykeman. Peter A.. Sterling. 2009. 978-1-4027-6715-9. New York. 65. 244766414. 1982.
  3. http://herb.umd.umich.edu/herb/search.pl?searchstring=Camassia+scilloides Camassia scilloides.
  4. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=301839 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Camassia esculenta (Ker Gawl.) B.L.Rob.
  5. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=301838 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Camassia esculenta (Nutt.) Lindl.