''Camassia howellii'', commonly known as Howell's camas, is a species of perennials
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to western
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
.
Discovered in 1889, ''Camassia howellii'' is now considered to be imperiled due to residential development, mining and grazing.
[NatureServe. 2014. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life eb application Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://explorer.natureserve.org. (Accessed: May 3, 2014 )]
Distribution
'' Camassia howellii'' is found exclusively in the southwestern region of
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
. The 12 populations make up a total of 3000 plants. These sites are threatened by human developments. This species is currently under the global conservation status rank G2 Imperiled. Although other species of ''
Camassia
''Camassia'' is a genus of plants in the asparagus family native to North America. Common names include camas, quamash, Indian hyacinth, camash, and wild hyacinth.
It grows in the wild in great numbers in moist meadows. They are perennial p ...
'' are still abundant in the Northwest, this one is not in Oregon.
''Camassia howellii'' thrives in wet meadows in serpentine soil. They are found in eastern Oregon where precipitation levels range from 70 to 100 inches per year and temperatures from 40 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit per year. These perennials are late bloomers usually during the month of May and the flowers will wither in the autumn.
Description
''Camassia howellii'' grows from a bulb and has 60 cm long basal leaves which range around 4 to 7 per plant.
The plant's inflorescences reach about long which are usually bluish violet. The flowers are actinomorphic made up of five long petals. There can be 100 flowers in a raceme. These flowers sit atop a stem about tall.
[ The flowers are radially symmetrical and are composed of five deep bluish violet petals. The petals range from 10 to 20 mm long and about 3 to 5 mm wide. This species is known to bloom in the month of May.
]
Uses
Native Americans and settlers considered ''Camassia howellii'' as an important part of their diet. The city of Camas in Washington and many parts of the Northwestern United States was named after this plant due to its large cultivation and consumption by the Native Americans and first white settlers.
In autumn the bulbs were harvested after the flowers dried up and were boiled or pit-cooked.[Gould, Frank W. '' A Systematic Treatment of the Genus ''Camassia'' Lindl". The University of Notre Dame, Vol.28, No. 3, Nov., 1942, p. 712-742. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2420901] The bulbs were also dried and ground into flour. As the settlers began to expand their territory, they raised cattle which limited the growth of camas in the area.
References
External links
photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Oregon in 1889
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15503225
Agavoideae
Flora of Oregon
Endemic flora of the United States
Endangered flora of the United States
Plants described in 1890