Cusick’s camass is a perennial bulb in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae) native to northeast Oregon and western Idaho but is planted as an ornamental throughout the United States. It is found in damp meadows and along ponds at lower elevations. The Genus name is derived from the Native American Indian name of kamas or quamash for a genus plant whose bulb was once used by native Americans as a food source. The specific epithet refers to William Conklin Cusick, a self-taught American botanist. It grows 2 to 3 feet tall in moist, fertile, acidic, humusy, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Plant bulbs in the fall 4 to 6 inches deep and 6 inches apart. Propagation is by dividing bulb offsets or seeds that are plant in a pot as soon as they are mature. The plant starts going dormant in the heat of summer, reducing water needs. In spring to early summer, tall clusters of star-shaped pale blue flowers appear on stout willowy stems. The flowers open bottom to top of the raceme. Use this plant in a naturalized setting, along pond margins or in borders or groups of a cottage garden. Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. More information on Camassia .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
Less than 12 inches; 12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Mounding
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf arrangement
Whorled
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Numerous narrow, green, strap-like leaves, 10 to 20 inches in length, emerge from the bulb in the spring forming a basal rosette.
Flower color
Blue; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
The 1.5-2.5’ flowering stalk supports sky blue to white flowers with showy, yellow anthers. Each flower is ¾–1" across, consisting of 6 tepals, 6 stamens with bright yellow anthers, and a green central ovary with a slender style. The tepals are light blue-violet to nearly white; they are oblong in shape and spread widely from the center of the flower. Each tepal (petal or petal-like sepal) has 1-3 poorly defined veins along its length.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
Each seed capsule contains many small seeds that are black and shiny.