Another Perfect Plant: Camassia leichtlinii ‘Sacajawea’

Written By Paul Cady

A beautiful cultivar of a Pacific Northwest native, Camassia leichtlinii ‘Sacajawea’ is a white flowered form of the traditionally blue flowered plant. As an added bonus the leaves are edged in white, creating a lovely variegated effect when the leaves are present. Found by Aad Kroon, this plant can be grown in wetter areas in full sun, though not in standing water. This is a summer dormant perennial so it disappears entirely after the leaves die back. A good naturalizer, Camassia are great in meadow plantings and perennial borders. Historically used as a food crop by Native Americans, Camassia bulbs require cooking or roasting before they become digestible by humans. Caution – if harvesting bulbs in the wild the ‘Death Camas’ (Zygadenus venenosus) grows in similar habitats and the bulbs look similar. Eating the Death Camas can be fatal.

 

References:
Brent and Becky's Bulbs
North American Native Plant Society
Van Engelen

 

Photo reference:
Fluwel

 

 

Paul Cady

Paul is a landscape designer with a professional background in public horticulture. His years of experience maintaining both public and private gardens provide an informed perspective on choosing, arranging, and placing plants in the landscape. He is committed to creating landscapes that will survive and thrive over time through making informed plant choices and developing written landscape management plans.

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