Camassia leichtlinii
| Camassia leichtlinii | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Camassia leichtlinii (common name: wild hyacinth)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[1]. The seed can also be sown in a cold frame in spring[1]. It usually germinates in 1 - 6 months at 15°c, but it can be erratic[2]. Sow the seed thinly so that it does not need to be thinned and allow the seedlings to grow on undisturbed for their first year. Give an occasional liquid feed to ensure that the plants do not become nutrient deficient. When the plants are dormant in late summer, pot up the small bulbs putting 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for another one or two years in a cold frame before planting them out when dormant in late summer.
Offsets in late summer. The bulb has to be scored in order to produce offsets.
Cultivation: A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in almost any soil[3] and is tolerant of considerable neglect once it is established[K]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a rather heavy loam[4] that has plenty of moisture in spring but does not remain wet over the winter[2][5]. Dislikes dry soils[5]. Prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade[2][5].
A very ornamental plant[4], there are many named varieties[5]. Plants often self-sow[K].
A good bee plant[6].
Plants can be naturalized in damp grass, this should not be trimmed until mid to late summer when the bulbs have flowered and the leaves have died down[1].
This species can be confused with certain poisonous bulbs in the genus Zigadenus[7].
Plant the bulbs 7 - 10cm deep in early autumn and then leave undisturbed[4]. The bulbs should be planted about 20cm deep[8].
Range: Western N. America - British Columbia to S. California.
Habitat: Meadows, prairies and hillsides that are moist, at least in early spring.
Edibility: Bulb - raw or cooked[9][10][11]. The raw bulb has a mild, starchy flavour, but a gummy texture that reduces the enjoyment of it somewhat[K]. It is excellent when slow baked, however, developing a sweet flavour and making a very good potato substitute[12][13][K]. The cooked bulb can also be dried for later use[12] or ground into a powder and used as a thickener in soups or as an additive to cereal flours when making bread, cakes etc[14]. The bulbs can be boiled down to make a molasses, this was used on festival occasions by various Indian tribes[12]. One report says that the bulbs contain inulin (a starch that cannot be digested by humans) but that this breaks down when the bulb is cooked slowly to form the sugar fructose which is sweet and easily digested[13].
Pollinators: Bees
Notes: We could supply this in the next catalogue.
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
In Leaf: Early Spring-Late Summer
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Also Known As: C. esculenta leichtlinii. Chlorogalum leichtlinii.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Bird, R. Growing from Seed Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan, 1989.
- ↑ Grey, Charles. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate, 1938.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association, 1981.
- ↑ Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Sweet, Muriel. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co, 1962.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Turner, Nancy. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples. UBC Press Vancouver, 1995.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.