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Camassia leichtlinii

Leichtlin's Camas · Great Camas · Large Camas

Family AsparagaceaeGenus Camassia

A tall spike of violet-blue six-petalled star flowers with green ovaries, opening from the base upward
FlowerEpibaseCC BY 3.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

Habit
bulbous geophytePlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, Forb/herbPLANTS Database
Flower
Bluish violet, bright blue, creamy whiteFlora of North America
Native range
British Columbia, California, Oregon, WashingtonGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS; Flora of North America — Flora of North America Editorial Committee; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • The bulbs of great camas are edible but must be baked for a long time; they were traditionally cooked in fire pits for at least three hours, ideally one to three days. Take care not to confuse it with the deadly meadow death-camas. Wikipedia: Camassia leichtlinii

Protocol

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

Germination happens during step 1, in 98 days.

100% germination in 35–98 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Camassia p. 110Public domain
Show the original text
Camassia (Llllaceae). C. leichtlinii and its var. suksdorfii gave the same results. Both germ. best in 40(100% in 5-14 w) using either fresh seed or seed DS 6 m at 70 or 40. A preliminary 3 m at 70 lowered the percent germination to as low as 40% in one sample. Germination is hypogeal. The leaf does not develop properly unless the seedling is kept at least 2 m at 40 after germination.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Camassia p. 110. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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