Yosemite Home » Wildflower Guide » Blue & Purple Flowers » Camas Lily (Camassia quamash)
Camas Lily flower in McGurk Meadow

Camas Lily (Camassia quamash)

Aliases:  Camas, Small Camas, Common Camas

Family:  Lily (Liliaceae)

The Camas Lily is a swamp creature, thriving in boggy meadows early in the season when you can't walk through them without leaving a shoe or two behind. You can find large stands of Camas most years in Summit Meadow along Glacier Point Road.

Blooms:  June - August

Lifespan:  Perennial

Origins:  Native (see distribution maps for California and U.S./Canada)

Camassia quamash Etymology:  Camas and quamash are different spellings of the same Native American word meaning "fruit," referring to the plant's edible bulb. So Camassia quamash means, apparently, "fruit fruit."

This Photo:  At sunset in McGurk Meadow, late July

Other Resources:   CalFlora  ·  CalPhotos  ·  USDA  ·  eFloras.org  ·  Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

More Camas Lilies