Camassia leichtlinii subsp. suksdorfii
iNaturalist user: eralverson (via Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY
Family: Agavaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Camassia leichtlinii subsp. suksdorfii is a native California herb in the Agavaceae family.
Camassia is a native perennial found in northwestern California, the northern California Ranges, and northern and central Sierra Nevada Mountains in wet meadows at elevations of 1,000 to 2,600 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces stunning blue violet to bright blue flowers in clusters with generally fewer than 5 open simultaneously. Growing with tall stems 20 to 100 centimeters high, it emerges from a single ovoid bulb and develops 3 to 9 long leaves up to 60 centimeters in length and 5 to 25 millimeters wide. Its leaves are long and grass-like, spreading outward from the central stem in a graceful arrangement. The fruit is an oblong to ovoid capsule 1 to 3 centimeters long, containing 6 to 12 seeds per chamber.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 1 sympatric species; key differentiators are flower arrangement (open vs dense), number of flowers open at once, and perianth persistence
Habitat and range
Habitat: Common; wet meadows
Elevation: 1000-2600 m
California counties: El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Butte, Tuolumne, Lake, Sierra, Mendocino, Sonoma, Colusa, San Mateo, Tulare, Siskiyou, Trinity, Mariposa, Plumas, Modoc, Placer, Madera, Alpine, Lassen
Outside California: to British Columbia
Bloom period
Camassia leichtlinii subsp. suksdorfii blooms May-Aug.
How to tell it apart
vs Toxicoscordion: Camassia has blue-purple flowers; death camas has white to cream flowers.; vs Tulbaghia: Camassia flowers are blue-purple with smooth-edged leaves; society garlic has pink-purple flowers with garlic smell.; vs Agave: Camassia has thin flexible leaves and dies after a single season; agave has thick succulent leaves and is woody.; vs Hesperoyucca: Camassia has thin grass-like leaves in wet meadows; hesperoyucca has stiff sword-like leaves in dry habitats.; vs Yucca: Camassia has thin flexible leaves; yucca has stiff, sharp-pointed sword-like leaves.
Frequently asked questions
Is Camassia leichtlinii subsp. suksdorfii native to California?
Yes. Camassia leichtlinii subsp. suksdorfii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Camassia leichtlinii subsp. suksdorfii bloom?
Camassia leichtlinii subsp. suksdorfii blooms May-Aug.
Where in California does Camassia leichtlinii subsp. suksdorfii grow?
Camassia leichtlinii subsp. suksdorfii occurs in El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Butte, Tuolumne, Lake, Sierra, Mendocino and other counties, at elevations of 1000-2600 m.
What plant family does Camassia leichtlinii subsp. suksdorfii belong to?
Camassia leichtlinii subsp. suksdorfii is in the Agavaceae family, genus Camassia.
What habitat does Camassia leichtlinii subsp. suksdorfii grow in?
Camassia leichtlinii subsp. suksdorfii grows in Common; wet meadows.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.