Great Camas ~ Bundle of 3 Bare-root
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$19.25
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Other Names:
Large Camas, Leichtlin's Camass, Wild Hyacinth, Camas
Latin Name:
Camassia leichtlinii
Available October 15, 2026.  Plants ship within 3 weeks of this date, shipped in the order they were received. NOTE: We will wait to ship your order until all your plants become available.
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The Great Camas (Camassia leichtlinii) is the tall, stately cousin of common camas — spires of large, star-shaped blue-violet flowers rising 2–4 ft over grassy meadows in late spring, from one of the Northwest's most cherished traditional root foods.2, 4

Offered as a bundle of 3 bare-root plants — see the Planting Guide tab for bare-root handling.

NOTE: Bare-root plants arrive dormant (no leaves) and without soil.

Edible & Medicinal Uses

Camas bulbs are prized for their sweetness — but that sweetness has to be coaxed out by long, slow cooking. Raw, the bulbs are hard and largely indigestible; cooked slowly for many hours (traditionally pit-steamed for 24–48 hours), their inulin converts to fructose and they turn soft, dark, and richly sweet, tasting of baked pear, fig, or sweet potato — and the longer they cook, the sweeter they get. Great camas offers larger bulbs than common camas and was harvested, pit-cooked, and often pressed into cakes for winter and trade.1, 4

Ornamental Qualities

Simply spectacular in bloom, Great Camas sends up bold spikes of large blue to blue-violet (occasionally creamy) flowers, taller and later than common camas, lighting up a spring meadow, border, or pond edge. It naturalizes into breathtaking drifts and pairs classically with Oregon White Oak, Common Camas, and native wildflowers.4

Environment & Culture

Ecology: Native from British Columbia to California, Great Camas grows in moist meadows, prairies, and oak savannas that are wet in spring and dry by summer. Its flowers are a rich nectar source for native bees, and camas meadows are a signature habitat of the region's oak country.1, 4

Culture: Camas prairies are among the most important tended food landscapes of the Northwest and Plateau — cultivated with controlled burning, weeding, and selective harvest, the bulbs pit-cooked into a staple and a major trade good. We offer camas with deep respect for that living knowledge and invite support for Indigenous-led restoration through our Charitable Giving page.4

In the Kitchen

Plan for patience: camas rewards slow cooking. After the plant is done flowering and the bulbs are dug, roast or steam them low and slow for many hours (even a day or more) until they turn amber and sweet — a modern oven or slow cooker can stand in for the traditional pit. Enjoy them like a sweet, caramelized root, or mash them to sweeten other dishes.5 A note of respect and caution: a toxic look-alike called death camas can grow in the same meadows; the two differ in their flowers and bulbs on close inspection, but the resemblance is real — so never gather camas from the wild without expert guidance. (Growing and harvest details are on the Planting Guide tab.)

Attributes

  • Native Range: British Columbia to California; moist meadows & oak savanna1
  • USDA Zones: ~4–83
  • Light: Full sun to part shade4
  • Water: Moist in spring, dry in summer (summer-dormant)4
  • Soil: Rich, seasonally moist; tolerates clay4
  • Habit: Bulb perennial, 2–4 ft; blue-violet flower spikes, late spring2
  • Edible: Bulbs — sweet only after long, slow cooking (never raw)1

References

  1. USDA NRCS Plant Guide; Wikipedia, Camassia.
  2. Pojar, J. & MacKinnon, A., Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, 2014.
  3. USDA PLANTS Database, Camassia leichtlinii.
  4. Confluence Project, "The Profound Role of Camas"; Turner & Bell ethnobotany.
  5. "Cooking Great Camas," The Backyard Larder.

Planting Guide: Great Camas (Camassia leichtlinii) — Bundle of 3 Bare-root

Tip: Plant it where the ground is moist in spring and dries out in summer — a meadow, border, or pond edge — and let it naturalize into tall blue drifts.

When Your Plant Arrives

Open the package promptly. Your plants arrive as dormant bulbs or corms — no leaves and no soil, which is normal and how they travel best. Keep them cool, dry, and out of direct sun, and plant within a few days (sooner is better); if you must wait, store them somewhere cool and dark, not damp. Plant at the depth noted below, pointed end up. If anything looks amiss, please contact customer service within 7 days of delivery and we’ll make it right.

Choosing a Site

Light: Full sun to part shade.

Soil: Rich, seasonally moist (spring-wet, summer-dry); tolerates clay.

Space: 4–6 in apart; plant generously for drifts.

Planting Steps

Plant bulbs in fall, 3–5 in deep, pointed end up; firm and water in, and mulch lightly.

Let the foliage die back naturally after bloom to feed the bulb.

Watering & Care

Establishment: Keep moist through spring growth.

After establishment: Wants a dry summer dormancy — avoid summer irrigation, which rots the bulbs.

Maintenance: Leave undisturbed to multiply into drifts; divide only if crowded, in fall.

Protection

Deer: Foliage sometimes grazed; bulbs generally left.

Wildlife: Rich nectar for native bees.

Companions: Oregon white oak, common camas, meadow wildflowers.

Harvest Basics

Safety first: Camas bulbs are nearly identical to those of death camas, which is poisonous and often grows in the very same meadows. Flower color won’t sort them out — edible camas ranges from blue-violet to creamy white depending on the species, and death camas is pale cream too, so a pale flower alone tells you nothing. Identify by the whole plant in bloom: camas bears large, showy, six-pointed star flowers up a tall spike, while death camas has smaller, tighter cream-to-greenish flowers in a denser cluster. Positively identify each plant in flower, mark your edible camas when it blooms, and never eat a bulb you can’t trace to a plant you saw flowering. When in doubt, don’t.

Season: Dig after flowering, once foliage matures.

Prep (essential): Cook long and slow (hours to a day — traditionally pit-steamed) until sweet and dark amber; never eat raw.

Sustainable harvest: Replant offset bulbs to keep the patch going.