CAMAS. 1>3 



LILIACEAE. 



Calochortus macrocarpus Dougl. 



Yanch. — A plant described as similar to camas — that is. in its bulb, 

 doubtless— and like it an article of food. A boy was sent out into the 

 sagebrush to get some, but on account of the lateness of the season, 

 the last week in August, lie could find none of the tops. From the 

 description of the plant, however, it is probably Calochortus macrocar- 

 pus. It bears from 1 to (J large, tulip-like, white or pale-purple flowers. 



Quamasia quama'ih (Tursk) Covillc. 



PdJcs. — The well known camas, a liliaceous plant with a raceme of 

 blue flowers, narrow almost grass-like leaves, and a bulb resembling 

 that of a tulip. It is common in the open meadows of the yellow-pine 

 forests, and from its extreme abundance gives to them the popular des- 

 ignation' "camas meadows." The bulbs are gathered in spring, about 

 the 1st of April, and either stored, without preparation, for future use, 

 or steamed in pits after the manner of Valeriana edulis. 



Capt. O. 0. Applegate informed me that in the Willamette Valley 

 before the days of cultivated fruits the early settlers' wives used camas 

 bulbs in making pies. The camas of that region is probably Quamasia 

 leichtlinii (Baker) Coville. 



In gathering camas, a pointed instrument, in the old days usually 

 made of the wood of mountain mahogany, Cercocarpus ledifoliw, is 

 thrust into the ground and the bulbs pried out. A modern camas stick, 

 manufactured by an Indian blacksmith, was made of a bar of three- 

 fourtlis inch steel 7(» cm. (30 inches) long, with a crossbar at the top 

 12.7 cm. (5 inches) long, tlie lowermost 10 cm. or more tapering to a 

 sharp point, and bent forward about the diameter of the bar. 



Zygadenus venenosus Wilts. 



Sca'-o, or scou. — A plant popularly, and doubtless correctly, supposed 

 to poison cattle; well known locally under the name "poison camas," 

 "white camas," and "lobelia," and common in the natural meadows. 

 The roots when eaten cause extreme vomiting. See under Iris. 



IRIDACEAE 

 Iris missouriensis Nutt. 



Gha'-yum lak'-o. — The blue flag or Iris of the region, common in moist 

 meadows, especially those in which the soil becomes dry later in the 

 season. The dried rootstocks are sometimes used by medicine men as 

 a smoking material, mixed with white camas, Zygadenus venenosus, and 

 a little tobacco, to give a person a severe nausea, in order to secure a 

 heavy fee for making him well again. 



