Camassia quamash ssp brevifolia-- camas, small flowered Quamash Root
Camas/Triteleia/Yucca Family (Asparagaceae) genus Camassia, southern canada British Columbia, quamas prairie, Alberta, south to Rocky Mountains. Monocot with linear pointed lily family basal leaves.
The genus Quamash is the Nimi’ipuu Nez Percé world for "sweet". Flowers pale blue lavender on a raceme cluster. This star-shaped flower consists of six tepals and six elevated stamens, anthers sulphur yellow in this area, protrude from a green ovary.
Quamash says spring underground moisture, often near seasonal springs, here at 1400 ft first week of May blooming in an extreme drought year, atypical most precipitation fell as rain in a typical snow season. Every ecosystem has its typical climax optimum areas with its indicator plants. Like the sonoran with saguaros into baja, then more marginal areas into Arizona, with the northernmost eastern stand of saguaros in the foothills of the Gila mountains, isolated stands near Bylas. They are saguaros but they are at the limit of their range and take advantage of dark red brown south facing slopes that hold the heat. On uplifts that catch winter and summer rains.
Quamash plays a part here in a tiny Quamash prairie, with saskatoon, arrow leaf balsam root, in a burned over ponderosa pine meadow. Flowers here are more pale blue, smaller and on a shorter stalk compared to the quamash prairie between the salmon and Clearwater river in Idaho. Where quamash, breadfruit lomatiums and yampah created a unique permaculture tawny grammar. Yet it is Quamash and deserves the name.
Quamash was scattered by coyote after he rescued the Nimi’ipuu peoples creating the Appaloosa horse culture. Which lasted until 1877 when, In-mut-too-yah-lat-lat, Thunder Rolling Down from the Mountains, Chief Joseph said, "Hear me, my chiefs; my heart is sick and sad. From where the Sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." His final resting place is Nespelem, over the cache creek road from san poil river north of keller. Not far from here before the dam there were salmon in the river.
Quamash was dug with an elk antler digging stick. Quamash has an indigestible sugar inulin, which if eaten in large quantities raw causes gastric distress and gas. So the roots were always roasted or boiled cooked before eating. Traditionally it was roasted in a pit for several days till the sugars carmelize. Similar to the communal method of roasting agave in a large pit. After roasting the Quamash was dried and pounded into flour.
Quamash root is an elegant edible, with a mild sweet demulcent quality. The root is easy to dig, a light cream colored bulb with a black easy to peel covering.
Camas Quamash root Lewis & Clark, September 20, 1806, "... our camp is agreeable Situated in a point of timbered land on the eastern borders of an extensive leavel and butifull prarie which is intersected by Several Small branches near the bank of one of which our Camp is placed. the quawmash is now in blume at a Short distance it resemhles a lake of fine clear water, So complete is this deseption that on first Sight I could have Sworn it was water. ..." [Clark, June 12, 1806, at Weippe Prairie, Idaho]
"... they ... gave us a Small piece of Buffalow meat, Some dried Salmon beries & roots in different States, Some round and much like an onion which they call <Pas she co> quamash the Bread or Cake is called Passhe-co Sweet, of this they make bread & Supe they also gave us the bread made of this root all of which we eate hartily, ..." [Clark, September 20, 1805]
