BY LESLIE REGO
Upon seeing the blue camas lily (Camassia quamash) on June 12, 1806, Meriweather Lewis wrote, “the quamash is now in blume and from the colour of its bloom at a short distance it resembles lakes of fine clear water, so complete in the deseption that on first sight I could have sworn it was water.”
My husband and I drove to Boise this past weekend and the blue camas was in full bloom – on May 7 (not June 12) – a whole month earlier than when the expedition saw the plant! Blue camas grows in moist meadows or alongside streams or rivers. The fields by Fairfield were full of the flower and it certainly did resemble clear blue lakes. The “lakes” even had gentle ripples as the flowers swayed in the wind.
The camas bulb was a main staple for Northwest Native American cultures. The bulbs were cooked in stone fire pits and provided large amounts of energy as they were a good source of carbohydrates. Apparently, the cooked or dried bulbs were almost as valuable as smoked salmon for trading purposes.
Meriweather Lewis wrote lengthy passages about the flower in his journal. On June 11, 1806 he devoted several pages to the description of the flower as well as the preparation of the root as a food source. After a particularly long passage of all the possible ways to eat the roots and how they fit into the daily culinary life of the Northwest Native Americans, he ends the description ominously with, “…this root is palateable but disagrees with me in every shape I have ever used it.” The camas root is notorious for producing large amounts of intestinal gas and Lewis goes on to note in his journal, “…when in the Indian hut I was almost blown out by the strength of the wind.”
The first time Lewis and Clark and their men encountered the flower was when they finally staggered down from the Rocky Mountains onto the plains. They were malnourished and ready to eat anything. The Nez Perce generously shared one of their prized camas roots with them. Unfortunately, the root was extremely difficult on the men’s already compromised digestive systems. Clark wrote, “I am verry Sick to day and puke which relive me.”
When the plants are not in flower, it is easy to confuse the blue camas bulbs with the death camas bulbs, which are highly poisonous. The Native American women, as gatherers of the camas roots for the tribes, did all of the collecting and were well versed in how to tell one from the other. We would be wise to enjoy the vivid blues of the flowers from afar and not take our chances on whether we have mistakenly chosen a poisonous one.
Leslie Rego is an Idaho Press Club award-winning columnist, artist and Blaine County resident. To view more of Rego’s art, visit www.leslierego.com.