Wild Hyacinth
Camassia scilloides
Also known as: Atlantic Camas
Spring ephemeral bulb of moist woods and prairies. Pale blue spires above grass-like foliage; goes fully dormant by midsummer. Its bulb was an important traditional food, baked or dried into flour — but camas bulbs closely resemble the deadly, unrelated 'death camas' (Toxicoscordion) before flowering, a well-documented and sometimes fatal mix-up. Never dig camas bulbs without the plant in bloom to confirm identity.
- Family
- Asparagaceae
- Type
- wildflower
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 1–3 ft
- Spacing
- 1–2 ft apart
- Light
- part shade, shade
- Soil moisture
- dry
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral
- Bloom
- March, April, May, June
- Bloom colors
- white, blue, purple
- Wildlife value
- pollinators
- Landscape uses
- border, container
- Native states
- AL, AR, DC, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MO, MS, NC, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV