Camas 'Camissia Quamash'

Hunter Britegam October 23, 2015 LA 441 Bart Johnson Camassia Quamash: A Willamette Valley Native

Figure 1 Camas Flower (Lyn Topinka)

Species Natural History Account Family: Liliaceae Scientific Name: Camassia Quamash Common Name: Camas The Camassia Quamash, commonly known as the Camas flower, is a Willamette Valley native bulb that was important to the indigenous people in the region, in addition to being an important plant for other habitats. In this essay, I will address the Camas plants cultural history, as well as its ecological value in the Willamette Valley. I will also convey how to support this species in urban areas around the Willamette Valley.

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Camas has a rich cultural history within the Willamette Valley. “From California to coastal British Columbia, indigenous people used camas bulbs for food, along with salmon, acorns, and other foodstuff” (www.oregonencyclopedia.org). With its many uses, camas became a commonly traded item among these indigenous people. The bulbs were prepared differently depending on what occasion and need was presented. Some examples of potential trades include: •

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“At a marriage, the girl’s family gave roots in corn husk bags” (plants.usda.gov). They gave the family roots because it has been said that the roots, when baked or steamed, have the sweetest flavor. Corn husk bags were used because it would keep the roots dry and fresh.

During a time of mourning and death, the widow would give camas roots to friends and relatives as simple thank you for their support.

Camas was also traded with people just passing through. They traded camas for weapons, food, gifts, etc. (Statham, 1982).

Furthermore, Camas was not only an important trading object, it was also an established part of their lives in many other ways as well. Indian groups in the Pacific Northwest, such as the Kalapuyans, Nez Perce, Warm Springs, Umatilla, Cayuse, Walla Walla, Yakima, Crows, and Flatheads used strategies, such as field burning to manage other plants for more harvesting of camas. “Soil insulates the meristematic tissue in common camas bulbs from damage by fire” (www.fs.fed.us). “Supported by the archaeological record, where earthen ovens containing charred camas bulbs appear throughout much of the region's 11,500 yearlong prehistory. The dendrocalibrated radiocarbon ages of numerous excavated camas ovens span from ca. 8000 years B.P. to 140 years B.P.” (Cheatham 1988; Tasa et al. n.d, Stephenie Kramer, scholarsbank.uoregon.edu). Interesting enough, the Kalapuya were also using artificial selection by choosing the largest camas bulbs to replant in order to enhance yield. Many “traditional gathering sites throughout the Willamette Valley in Oregon, have now been converted to agriculture” (usda.gov). The average size of a camas patch needed to feed a five person family was 2.7ha (Thoms 1989). Now, only a very small amount of native camas fields remain in the valley. Restorations of wetlands, grasslands, and oak savannahs to bring back camas have been a priority of many Native Americans. Camas holds a role in the ecosystem that needs to be restored and protected.

Lewis and Clark also ate camas while they were making their expedition further in the Pacific Northwest. The Nez Perce introduced them to the camas root. Being unfamiliar to Lewis and Clark, and being starved from the long trip to the west, they along with their crew ate copious amounts of camas root. As described by Sgt. Ordway as “sweet and good to the taste, somewhat like pumpkin”, the root was hard on delicate digestions causing the men to have serious sickness for over a week. Although camas is hard on digestion when not accustomed to its fiber, the camas plant turned out to be a staple food for Lewis and Clark. Not only meant for

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human consumption, camas is great for other animals, and provides an accurate indicator for health of various ecosystems in the Willamette Valley.

In addition to being a good food source for humans Camas is a source of food for many other creatures, as well as a good plant for pollinators. “Gophers may even transport bulbs into new areas” (Beckwith, 2004). Camas is a plant that represents the native habitat that thrived in this region for centuries. It is a plant that has severe cultural meaning, and one that has many different uses, other than for its pretty flowers. Camas is also a plant that many creatures use as a food source, as well as an indicator for quality wetlands, grasslands, or oak savannahs in the Willamette Valley.

Being a perennial bulb, camas, as an individual flower has a semi-short lifespan. Below is the life cycle stages of the camas plant. Camas grows best in a moisture retentive soil and are happy in full, to part sun. Camas prefers well drained soils but can tolerate moist soils most of the year. According to L.A. Jackson, a former editor of Gardener Magazine, “this tough plant tolerates heavy clay. In addition, it is one of the few spring-flowering bulbs that will do well in low-lying, moist areas. Finally, add to its positive attributes the fact that it is deer resistant”. Planting camas in the fall or early winter can ensure proper germination for harvest in the spring, to early summer.

Camas prefers to be planted in temperatures of 59 degrees Fahrenheit for ideal germination. After a month with complete Figure 2 Easy to Grow Bulbs (Mulysa Melco) germination, camas sprouts in early spring, or late winter. Between early April and the middle of May, the camas bulb flowers, which is an indication of a harvest in the near future. Through May to September, harvesting the bulbs is suggested because they are firm enough to be harvested, but tender enough to be roasted or dehydrated for storage. During July, towards the end of summer, you can collect the seeds for propagation for the upcoming season. After the collection of seeds, now is the time where planting for the next season is advised (www.easytogrowbulbs.com).

Camas adapts to a variety of different conditions but, according to the USDA, prefers a hardiness zone of three to seven making it a perfect candidate for growing in wetlands, grasslands and within oak savannahs in the Pacific Northwest. Camas is a perennial bulb that is not frost tender (www.pfaf.org), but is noted for attracting wildlife. “Livestock, elk, moose, and caribou graze common camas, while pigs consume the bulbs. Common camas also provides fair to good graze for sheep and cattle” (www.fs.fed.us).

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Camas, growing to heights of approximately 1-1.5 feet by 1 inch is suitable for lawns, meadows and cultivated beds according to Plants for a Future. Camas is a perfect plant to grow in the Willamette Valley, even in urban areas, due to its hardiness and relatively small stature.

The distribution of camas is explained in the map below: The dark green on the map indicates that Camas is present in the state. The lighter green indicates that camas is present in county; both native and adventive. The darker gold color on the map represents that camas is not present in those states. Though it is considered not native outside these zones, “Given appropriate habitat and climate, native plants can be grown outside their range” Figure 3 Prairie Moon Nursery (www.prairiemoon.com).

For habitat type and plant communities, fs.fed.us states, “camas is found in the intermountain region and the northern Rocky Mountains, common camas is usually found in mountain grassland and prairie communities. West of the Cascade-Sierra Nevada crest, it occurs in both forest and grassland types”. To keep these precious habitats, and stop any further loss of this historical plant, we must protect and revive areas to support camas and native vegetation, even in urban fringe areas of the Willamette Valley. Below I will discuss Camas’s reproductive cycle, as well as its spatial landscape data to show how to support this species in the Willamette Valley, and its surrounding native domains.

First of all, it is imperative to explain what features distinguish a bulb. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a bulb is, “a resting stage of a plant (as the lily, onion, hyacinth, or tulip) that is usually formed underground and consists of a short stem base bearing one or more buds enclosed in overlapping membranous or fleshy leaves”. In layman’s terms, a bulb is a plant that lives in dormancy underground until it sprouts and shows its leaves or flowers.

Camas has a fairly simple reproductive cycle; “camassia will reproduce both by bulbets forming off the original bulbs and seeds from the flower” (www.trianglegardener.com). Because bulbs are seed plants with flowers, they need the flowers to be pollinated in order to form the seeds (homegardenview.com). Camas flowers have both male (stamen) and female (pistil) parts therefore, when pollination occurs, pollen from one plant to another is transferred, which causes the plant to be fertilized and in turn, produce seeds. These seeds get sown into the soil

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naturally to produce more flowers. This cycle continues year after year producing more and more plants. Bulbs, such as camas are interesting in how they are able to survive during this time. Plants, such as evergreens are more susceptible to predators because they are above ground at all times leaving them vulnerable but, because these plants are underground most of the year, they are hard to detect by predators, which allows them to reproduce and spread with ease. Camas should be a plant in every garden in the Willamette Valley because not only does it provide valuable cultural context to those who lived in this valley before European settlement, but also because as a native plant, camas can survive in the multitude of climates that the Willamette Valley offers without having to be pampered to live like some exotic plants.

Not only is it very resilient to climate change, camas also offers its incredible blue color, which is a treat to have in any garden.

Although camas is a very resilient plant, as discussed above, there are different requirements for its survival. Over time, camas has been disappearing from the natural landscape. This is because human interaction and urban development have raped these habitats of their beauty. There is continual conversation on how to restore former wetlands, oak savannah, and grasslands within the Willamette Valley. Unfortunately, restoring these areas prove to be very costly, and therefore are hard to get the funding and support necessary to restore them to an original like state. During this research, I have found that the ultimate threat to this species is human interaction. Camas may seem to be an insignificant wildflower to developers and the layperson but in actuality its presence is a sign of good health within a larger ecosystem. Though camas itself is not sensitive to human presence, the surrounding habitat and ecosystem are susceptible to the invasions of modern society. Taking away these key ecosystems through development, displaces various species which is a large problem that needs to be addressed. The only way to address this problem is to restore ecologically valuable sites. Collaboration between Ecologists, Landscape Architects, Planners, Horticulturists, and other relevant professions will be key in restoring these habitats.

The restoration of camas habitat depends solely on restorations of native wetlands, grasslands, and oak savannahs, even in urban areas of the Willamette Valley. Camas, as said above, is also a great addition to any residential garden because it provides great spring color with very minimal maintenance. Below I will provide a management guide to designing, and maintaining quality camas habitat. Though it may be hard to gain support at government levels to rehabilitate only camas, we may be able to gain support by restoring, and conserving the greater habitat types that will ultimately support the health and integrity of camas. Through this integration of various habitats, we can ensure cultural and ecological success.

Design, Planning and Management Guide For designing, planning, and managing habitat, we must first understand the optimal ecosystem for camas to thrive in. According to Michael Karnosh from Intertwine, “camas thrives in areas of full sunlight such as prairies or savannas, especially after disturbance�. The optimal ecosystem for camas, according to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) is an

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open prairie, which confirms Michael’s statement of prime camas habitat. Restoring these types of open prairies, or wetland prairies in the Willamette Valley will ultimately help larger amounts of camas to thrive (see figure 4). Learning how to restore wetland prairies in the Willamette Valley will help in bringing back a copious amount of camas back to the valley.

A great resource on how to restore wetland prairies in the Willamette Valley is: Practical Guidelines for Wetland Prairie Restoration in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, guided by the City of Eugene, Lane Council of Government, and Institute for Applied Figure 4 Optimal Wetland (Hunter Britegam) Ecology. Other than large scale restoration projects, there are simple way to introduce this species back in to the urban environment of the Willamette Valley.

Camas is a very resilient plant and can handle a variety of different environments to thrive. In an urban environment, camas can be planted in most yards, planter boxes, gardens, etc. Creating habitat in urban areas is relatively simple if you have the correct sun light, and moisture. As stated earlier, maintenance is also not an issue as camas dies back after it blooms.

This is true for all urban areas including: a residential house and yard, an urban park, and an urban open space.

Supplying prime habitat for camas in urban areas is of minimal concern because the climate in the Willamette Valley provides everything camas needs to succeed. Camas is also great in an herb garden, although not as nutritious as it might seem, camas has great tasting roots, which cooked in different ways can give you a taste of molasses, to the taste of pumpkin.

According to the USDA Forest Service, camas has a nutritional value of: • • • •

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Calories: 3.90 Calcium (mg): 1.76 Protein (g): 0.13 Iron (mg): 0.23 Carbohydrate (g): 0.80 Magnesium (mg): 0.40 Lipid (g): 0.03 Zinc (mg): 0.03

Even with minimal nutrition value, camas offers a large amount of value to any garden. Its distinctive blue and purple color makes it a very desirable plant, as larger blue flowers are hard to come by, even in the fertile Willamette Valley. Aesthetically, you could not place a more beautiful flower in an urban garden (see figure 5). However, as beautiful as this flower may be, unfortunately there is a serious gap in its ecological functions. There are hardly any publications describing Figure 5 Camas Growth (Hunter Britegam) what camas does for the environment as a whole, other than providing food for a small amount of creatures, as well as a substitute pollinator plant for species. Not only for cultural reason and beauty, if citizens of the Willamette Valley knew this species to be an ecologically valuable one, then maybe we could gain more support in the restoration of camas habitat which in turn, would assure restoration of many other native ecosystems.

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Bibliography: Kephart, Susan. "Camas." The Oregon Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.

Farrell, William. "Plant Guide." COMMON CAMAS (n.d.): n. pag. Camassia Quamash. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

Statham, Dawn Stram 1982 Camas and the Northern Shoshoni: A Biogeographic and Socioeconomic Analysis. Archaeological Reports No. 10, Boise State University, Boise, ID Thoms. "Complex Hunter Gatherers." Google Books. N.p., 1989. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

Turner, and Beckwith. "Restoring the Pacific North West." Google Books. N.p., 2004. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.

Jackson, L. A. "Camassia: A Native-Born Beauty." Triangle Gardener. N.p., 3 Nov. 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.

Kramer, Stephanie. "CAMAS BULBS, THE KALAPUYA, AND GENDER: EXPLORING EVIDENCE OF PLANT FOOD INTENSIFICATION IN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY OF OREGON." Scholarsbank. N.p., June 2000. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.

Patterson, Sussan. "Learn About Camassia Bulbs – How To Grow Camas Lily Plants." Gardening Know How. N.p., 13 Sept. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.

"Camassia Quamash." Easy to Grow Bulbs. N.p., 16 Feb. 2014. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

Greene. "Pfaf Plant Search." Pfaf Plant Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

Howard, Janet L. "Camassia Quamash." Camassia Quamash. United States Forest Service, 1993.

Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

"Camassia Quamash (Blue Camas)." Prairie Moon Nursery. Prairie Moon, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

"Camas." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

Hunter, Frances. ""Nearly All the Men Sick:" Lewis and Clark Meet the Camas Root." Frances Hunters American Heroes Blog. Wordpress, 26 July 2011. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.

Victoria. "Home Improvement Specials." How Do Bulbs Reproduce? N.p., 23 Apr. 2013. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.

Kitsteiner, John. "Permaculture Plants: Camas." Temperate Climate Permaculture.

Tcpermaculture, 13 Apr. 2013. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.

Karnosh, Michael. "Bioflies." More than a Flower. Bioflies, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.

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Funding For The Production Of This Guide And Associated Research, Was Provided By The U.s.

Environmental Protection Agency, With, Matching Funds Provided By The City Of Eugene, Institute For, and Applied Ecology, And The University Of Oregon Environmental. "Practical Guidelines for Wetland Prairie Restoration in the Willamette Valley, Oregon." Practical Guidelines for Wetland Prairie Restoration in the Willamette Valley, Oregon (n.d.): n. pag. Cascadia Prairie Oak. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

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