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Camassia leichtlinii

Bulb

HomeBulbCamassia leichtlinii

Meadows, prairies and hillsides that are moist, at least in early spring.

Family: Hyacinthaceae
Height: 1 m / 4 ft
Sun, Semi-shade
Light, Medium and Heavy Soil
Moist

Plant Rating

Edible Uses: 4 of 5
Medicinal Uses: 0 of 5
Other Uses: of 5

Native Habitat

Wild Hyacinth, Large camas, Suksdorf's large camas Camassia leichtlinii native habitat is Meadows, prairies and hillsides that are moist, at least in early spring.

Edible Uses

Bulb - raw or cooked. The bulb is about 3cm in diameter, eaten raw it has a mild, starchy flavour, but a gummy texture that reduces the enjoyment of it somewhat. It is excellent when slow baked, however, developing a sweet flavour and making a very good potato substitute. The cooked bulb can also be dried for later use or ground into a powder and used as a thickener in soups or as an additive to cereal flours when making bread, cakes etc. The bulbs can be boiled down to make a molasses, this was used on festival occasions by various Indian tribes. One report says that the bulbs contain inulin (a starch that cannot be digested by humans) but that this breaks down when the bulb is cooked slowly to form the sugar fructose which is sweet and easily digested.

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