Camassia quamash subsp. breviflora
Walter Siegmund (talk) (via Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA
Family: Agavaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Camassia quamash subsp. breviflora is a native California herb in the Agavaceae family.
Camas is a California native perennial found in northwestern California, northern Sierra Nevada, and Cascade Range in wet meadows at elevations below 2,500 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces striking blue violet to bright blue flowers in dense clusters with 10 to 20 blossoms open simultaneously. Growing with slender stems 20 to 50 centimeters tall emerging from a single bulb, it develops elongated leaves typically less than 10 in number and 15 to 30 centimeters long. Its leaves are broad, measuring 6 to 17 millimeters wide, with a grass-like appearance. The fruit develops as an ovoid structure 8 to 20 millimeters long, containing 5 to 10 seeds per chamber.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 1 sympatric species; key differentiators are flower density, simultaneous bloom count, plant height, and perianth behavior
Habitat and range
Habitat: Wet meadows
Elevation: < 2500 m
California counties: Plumas, Siskiyou, Mariposa, Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Shasta, El Dorado, Mono, Modoc, Sierra, Mendocino, Humboldt, Tuolumne, Trinity, Tulare, Butte, Tehama, Yuba, Stanislaus, Lake
Outside California: to Washington, Nevada
Bloom period
Camassia quamash subsp. breviflora blooms May-Jul.
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 quamash subsp. breviflora native to California?
Yes. Camassia quamash subsp. breviflora is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Camassia quamash subsp. breviflora bloom?
Camassia quamash subsp. breviflora blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Camassia quamash subsp. breviflora grow?
Camassia quamash subsp. breviflora occurs in Plumas, Siskiyou, Mariposa, Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Shasta, El Dorado and other counties, at elevations of < 2500 m.
What plant family does Camassia quamash subsp. breviflora belong to?
Camassia quamash subsp. breviflora is in the Agavaceae family, genus Camassia.
What habitat does Camassia quamash subsp. breviflora grow in?
Camassia quamash subsp. breviflora grows in 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.