Camassia howellii

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Howell’s camas (Camassia howellii) is a perennial flowering plant native only to western Oregon, mainly in Josephine County near Grants Pass and Sexton Mountain. Found in 1889, it is now considered imperiled (global status G2) with about 12 wild populations and around 3,000 plants. The sites are threatened by residential development, mining and grazing.

Habitat and range
It grows in wet meadows with serpentine soil at elevations of about 200–700 meters. The area receives 70–100 inches of rain per year and temperatures between roughly 40–80°F. It usually blooms in May, and the flowers fade by autumn.

What it looks like
The plant grows from a bulb. It has a few narrow, long leaves (about 20–60 cm), typically 4–7 per plant. The flowering stalk is 15–40 cm long and bears many bluish‑violet flowers. Each flower has five petals about 10–20 mm long, and a single inflorescence can hold up to about 100 flowers on a stem around 50 cm tall. Bulbs are 1.5–3 cm in diameter with a brown outer coating. Fruits are small green capsules (0.5–1 cm) containing 2–5 seeds. Compared with some other Camassia species, C. howellii has smaller capsules and wider-spread pedicels.

Uses and history
Native Americans and early settlers used camas as food. The town of Camas, Washington, is named for this plant because camas was widely cultivated and eaten in the region. In autumn, bulbs were harvested, boiled or pit-cooked after the flowers dried; bulbs could also be dried and ground into flour. As settlers moved in and cattle ranching expanded, camas habitats declined.