Death Camas Bulbs

The bulbs look like onions but do not smell like onions.

Death camas bulbs.

Common camas is a stout robust plant 12 28 inches 30 70 cm tall with a dense inflorescence. The leaves are grass like and v shaped. If a cross section of a leaf exposes a hollow mid rib the plant is a wild hyacinth. Death camas zigadenus venenosus can be confused with edible camas bulbs and is toxic.

A positive characteristic of the death camas is its particularly acrid and unpalatable taste. Making matters worse both have bulbs which is unfortunate because the death camas are highly poisonous. What are the symptoms of poisoning. Be sure of your identification of camas bulbs before eating them.

The death camas are flowering plants that are native throughout the united states and generally reach several feet in height. These are all blue camas bulbs. Livestock poisoning from deathcamas is a serious problem in some western rangelands. Its small quarter inch cream or white colored flowers are six parted and the petals have a green heart shaped structure on them.

It is native to western north america. Death camas plant information. It is a perennial herb that grows from an edible bulb. Symptoms of death camas poisoning include.

Humans have fallen prey to the death camas because the older plants feature a bulb that resembles a wild onion. Dried parts especially seeds and capsules are even more potent. However the plant can still be found in common gardens throughout our country. Look for single unbranched stems.

Toxicoscordion venenosum with the common names death camas and meadow death camas is a species of flowering plants in the genus toxicoscordion of the melanthiaceae family. It should be noted that while the bulbs of this camas plant are edible it is often confused with a similar toxic plant referred to as death camas zigadenus venenosus. All fresh parts of deathcamas leaves bulbs flowers are poisonous. The poisonous death camas or meadow deathcamas plant arises from a bulb and may be mistaken for an onion plant.

Camas can be identified by its blue flowers. Photo by holly a. Identifying death camas is important if you have livestock but it can also help prevent people from consuming it. The plant is called alapíšaš in sahaptin and nupqasaquǂ nup ka sa qush in ktunaxa.

This bitterness thwarts all but the most desperate consumption due to drought or lack of any other food source. Its leaves are long and grass like. They grow from a bulb that resembles an onion with a dark outer coating. Sadly wild and well enjoyed camassia bulbs are not seen in masses like they once were.

Death camas bulbs are smaller than those of blue camas which can get as large as 1 1 2 inches across the size of a small onion.