CAMAS 
Quamasia quamash (Putsh) Coville 
Camas is a telative of the lilies and hyacinths. It grows in large 
quantities in open meadows ot boggy fields. When in bloom in early 
spring a camas meadow appears at a distance like a blue lake. The 
bulbs were used extensively as food by the northwestern Indians. 
When boiled they resemble potatoes in flavor. If baked over hot 
stones enclosed in a covering of grass for thirty-six hours they have 
a delicious chestnut flavor. Father de Smet in his “Oregon Missions” 
terms the bulb “the queen root of this clime.” 
This lovely camas ranges from Utah, Montana, and northern Cali- 
fornia to British Columbia. 
The sketch was made from plants growing at the east entrance to 
Glacier National Park, Montana. 
PLATE 358 
