Wild Hyacinth, Atlantic Camas, Blue Camas, Quamash, Eastern Camas, Eastern Camas Lily 

Camassia scilloides

kuh-MAS-ee-uh  sil-OY-dees

Synonyms of Camassia scilloides (21) (Updated on 12-6-25 from Plants of the World Online: Anthericum nuttallianum Schult. & Schult.f. (1829), Camassia esculenta (Ker Gawl.) B.L.Rob. (1908) (nom. illeg.), Camassia fraseri Torr. (1857), Camassia gawleri Torr. (1855), Camassia hyacinthina (Raf.) E.J.Palmer & Steyerm. (1935), Camassia scilloides f. candida McGregor (1957), Camassia scilloides f. petersenii Steyerm. (1938), Camassia scilloides f. variegata Steyerm. (1949), Cyanotris scilloides Raf. (1817), Lemotrys hyacinthina Raf. (1837), Ornithogalum nuttallianum (Schult. & Schult.f.) Kunth (1843), Ornithogalum texanum Scheele (1850), Oxytria texana (Scheele) Pollard (1897), Phalangium croceum Nutt. (1818) (nom. illeg.), Phalangium luteum Nutt. ex Kunth (1843) (pro syn.), Quamasia hyacinthina (Raf.) Britton (1896), Quamasia scilloides (Raf.) Raf. (1824), Schoenolirion texanum (Scheele) A.Gray (1876), Scilla esculenta Ker Gawl. (1813), Scilla fraseri (Torr.) A.Gray (1867), Stilla carolinensis W.Young (1783) (nom. nud.)

Camassia scilloides (Raf.) Cory is the accepted scientific name for this species. It was named as such by Victor Louis Cory in Rhodora: Journal of the New England Botanical Club in 1936. It was first named and described as Cyanotris scilloides by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in the American Monthly Magazine and Critical Review in 1818.

The genus, Camassia Lindl., was named and described as such by John Lindley in Edward’s Botanical Registry in 1932.

As of 12-6-25 when this page was added, Plants of the World Online lists 6 species in the genus Camassia. It is a member of the plant family Asparagaceae with 126 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.

The above distribution map for Camassia scilloides is from Plants of the World Online. Areas in green are where the species is native. The map on the USDA Plants Database is similar. 

The map on iNaturalist shows where members have made observations. Anyone can join and it is a great website to confirm and share your observations. The maps on iNaturalist are continually updated as members post new observations. I post all my observations on iNaturalist.

THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING AND TO HELP WITH A POSITIVE ID.

I was invited to visit a private well-maintained  native prairie not far from home on 5-5-25. It was quite amazing! I ran across 11 species I hadn’t seen before including many colonies of Camassia scilloides. Common names include Wild Hyacinth, Atlantic Camas, Blue Camas, Quamash, Eastern Camas, Eastern Camas Lily, and possibly others.

I will come back later and write better descriptions, but here is a little information to hold you over…

Camassia scilloides is a bulbous perennial member of the plant family Asparagaceae. It produces strap-like leaves, sometimes folded.

It produces terminal racemes of 5-50 pale blue to white flowers with bright yellow anthers and filaments. Flowers give way to three-lobed fruit.

The plants produce flowers from April-May.

I hope to get back out to the prairie soon to take more photos and see what other species I can find.

I live on the family farm in Windsor, Missouri in Pettis County (Henry County is across the street, and Benton and Johnson aren’t far away). I have grown over 500 different plants and identified over 250 species of wildflowers (most have pages listed on the right side of the page). I am not an expert, botanist, or horticulturalist. I just like growing, photographing, and writing about my experience. I rely on several websites for ID and a few horticulturalists I contact if I cannot figure them out. Wildflowers can be variable from location to location, so that can be a bit confusing. If you see I have made an error, please let me know so I can correct what I have written.

I hope you found this page useful and be sure to check the links below for more information. They were written by experts and they have provided much more information. Some sites may not be up-to-date but they are always a work in progress. If you can, I would appreciate it if you would click on the “Like” below and leave a comment. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. You can also send an email to me at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com. I would enjoy hearing from you especially if you notice something is a bit whacky.

 
FOR FURTHER READING:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
INTERNATIONAL PLANT NAMES INDEX (GENUS/SPECIES)
TROPICOS (GENUS/SPECIES)
FLORA OF MISSOURI (GENUS/SPECIES)
FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA (GENUS/SPECIES)
WORLD FLORA ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
WIKIPEDIA (GENUS/SPECIES)
USDA PLANTS DATABASE
U.S. FOREST SERVICE
iNATURALIST
MISSOURI PLANTS
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
WILDFLOWER SEARCH
ARKANSAS NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
DAVE’S GARDEN
FRIENDS OF THE WILDFLOWER GARDEN
ILLINOIS WILDFLOWERS
KANSAS WILDFLOWERS AND GRASSES
LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
PFAF (PLANTS FOR A FUTURE)
SEINet
U.S. WILDFLOWERS

NOTE: The data (figures, maps, accepted names, etc.) may not match on these websites. It depends on when and how they make updates and when their sources make updates. Some websites have hundreds and even many thousands of species to keep up with. Accepted scientific names change periodically and it can be hard to keep with as well. Some of the links may use a name that is a synonym on other sites. In my opinion, Plants of the World Online by Kew is one of the most reliable and up-to-date plant databases and they make updates regularly. I make updates “at least” once a year and when I write new pages or add new photos but I do get behind. We are all a work in progress. 🙂