PlantaeDB Logo
Login Sign-up

Genus Camassia in Family Asparagaceae

In botanical taxonomy, a genus (plural genera) is a rank used to group closely related species within a family. In the hierarchy, genus sits below family and above species.

Genera are defined by shared morphological, anatomical, and genetic characteristics (for example, features of flowers, fruits, seeds, or leaves) that indicate a close evolutionary relationship among the species they contain.

Each genus can include one or more species. Examples include Rosa (roses) and Solanum (nightshades, including tomato and eggplant).

Do you wish to read more about plant taxonomy? Click here!

Genus Description

Suggest a correction!

Camassia (family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae) comprises approximately nine species of perennial herbaceous plants native to North America. The genus ranges from coastal lowlands of the Pacific Northwest to montane meadows of the Rockies, with a disjunct eastern representative in Camassia scilloides (WFO, 2024). Camassia quamash (Pursh) Nutt. is designated as the type species (POWO, 2024).

Morphologically, all members arise from a corm and produce a basal rosette of linear, sheathing leaves that are usually glaucous and entire. A leafless scape terminates in a terminal raceme; flowers are actinomorphic with six petaloid tepals (blue to violet, sometimes white), six stamens, and a superior to half‑inferior ovary. The fruit is a three‑valved capsule bearing several angular seeds (APG IV, 2016).

The genus shows two principal centers of diversity. The Pacific Northwest center includes the endemic C. cusickii (Oregon) and C. howellii (Washington), while the southwestern center is represented by C. quamash and C. scilloides across California, Nevada, and adjacent states. C. scilloides also occupies Appalachian and Midwestern wet woodlands, providing a classic biogeographic disjunction. Populations occur in moist prairies, floodplains, and montane meadows from sea level to roughly 2,500 m (Mansion et al., 2020).

Flowering takes place in early spring; nectar attracts native bees (Bombus spp.) and various flies, while seed dispersal is largely gravity‑assisted with occasional water transport in riparian habitats. The base chromosome number is x = 9, and polyploid series have been documented—for example C. quamash has 2n = 36 (Larson, 1991).

Taxonomically, Camassia was historically placed in Liliaceae/Hyacinthaceae but was reassigned to Asparagaceae subfamily Scilloideae by APG IV (2016). Molecular analyses confirm the genus as monophyletic within tribe Hyacintheae, sister to the Asian Strumaria (Mansion et al., 2020). Most recent treatments recognize a single subgenus (subg. Camassia), though some synonymization proposals remain unresolved (WFO, 2024).

Several species, especially C. quamash and C. cusickii, are cultivated as ornamental garden bulbs. Indigenous peoples historically harvested corms for food, but the genus does not constitute a major modern crop, timber source, or invasive species (POWO, 2024).

Many populations are declining because of wetland drainage, altered hydrology, and climate‑driven range shifts. Conservation efforts include ex situ cultivation and habitat restoration; continued monitoring of hydrological integrity and climate resilience will be essential for the long‑term persistence of Camassia.

Pick a Species to see its components: