camass
noun
any of several plants of the genus Camassia, of the lily family, especially C. quamash, of western North America, having long clusters of blue to white flowers and edible bulbs.
camas
-
a variation of
camass.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
An eye-catching blue flower that grows widely throughout the Pacific Northwest, camas is referred to in Indigenous calendars across the region, with the plant's growth stages used as a sort of seasonal benchmark.
From Science Daily ● May 21, 2024
In the recent study, published in The Holocene, Carney looked at camas bulbs from the Willamette Valley in Oregon dating back 8,000 years to determine when in their life cycle they were harvested.
From Science Daily ● May 21, 2024
An Oregon State University study found evidence that Indigenous groups in the Pacific Northwest were intentionally harvesting edible camas bulbs at optimal stages of the plant's maturation as far back as 3,500 years ago.
From Science Daily ● May 21, 2024
At the overgrown farm in Tenino, camas numbers exploded after the cows helped eat back invasive grasses and likely spread the seeds of the native species in their poop.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 18, 2023
The camas root, which grows abundantly in certain localities on the east slope of the Rockies, was also dug, cooked, and dried.
From Blackfoot Lodge Tales The Story of a Prairie People by George Bird Grinnell
