camas
Indigenous food bulb
Camas is a North American plant with edible bulbs, found in meadows and grasslands of the western United States and Canada.
The starchy bulbs were a staple food for Indigenous peoples, often roasted or dried.
The blue-flowered camas must be distinguished from the toxic death camas, which grows in similar habitats: The meadow was carpeted with camas in bloom.
Pacific Northwest indigenous nation
- ShoshoneGreat Basin indigenous people
- BannockGreat Basin indigenous people
- KlamathNative people of Oregon
- PaiuteGreat Basin indigenous people
First Nations · tribal · sacred · ethnobotany · ancestral · traditional · trade · ceremony
Primary color; also sad
- petalsColored bloom segments
- bloomingProducing flowers now
- inflorescencePlant's complete bloom arrangement
- meadowGrassy field for grazing
prairie · wildflower · ornamental · perennial · star-shaped · raceme · spring · showy
Cooked uncovered with heat
- foragedSought wild food
- starchComplex plant carbohydrate
- sustenanceMeans of living
- stapleBasic dietary necessity
subsistence · baked · dried · sweetness · nutrition · gatherer · wildcrafting · harvest
Open grassy flatland
- meadowGrassy field for grazing
- wetlandWaterlogged land ecosystem
- Pacific NorthwestCoastal American region, northward
- grasslandTreeless herb-covered ecosystem
ecosystem · native · endemic · restoration · conservation · flora · bottomland · moist
Underground nutrient reservoir
- cormBulblike underground stem base
- rhizomeHorizontal underground plant stem
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- storageSpace for keeping goods
propagation · dormancy · germination · rootstock · offset · tunicate · basal · scale
Nez Perce
Pacific Northwest indigenous nation
- ShoshoneGreat Basin indigenous people
- BannockGreat Basin indigenous people
- KlamathNative people of Oregon
Paiute · First Nations · tribal · sacred · ethnobotany · ancestral · traditional · trade · ceremony · bitterroot
blue
Primary color; also sad
- petalsColored bloom segments
- bloomingProducing flowers now
- inflorescencePlant's complete bloom arrangement
meadow · prairie · wildflower · ornamental · perennial · star-shaped · raceme · spring · showy · pollination
roasted
Cooked uncovered with heat
- foragedSought wild food
- starchComplex plant carbohydrate
- sustenanceMeans of living
staple · subsistence · baked · dried · sweetness · nutrition · gatherer · wildcrafting · harvest · delicacy
prairie
Open grassy flatland
- meadowGrassy field for grazing
- wetlandWaterlogged land ecosystem
- Pacific NorthwestCoastal American region, northward
grassland · ecosystem · native · endemic · restoration · conservation · flora · bottomland · moist · seasonal
tuber
Underground nutrient reservoir
- cormBulblike underground stem base
- rhizomeHorizontal underground plant stem
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
storage · propagation · dormancy · germination · rootstock · offset · tunicate · basal · scale · digging