Small Camas

Small Camas: A Rare Pacific Northwest Native Worth Knowing

If you’re passionate about native plants and happen to live in the Pacific Northwest, you might have stumbled across references to small camas – a charming but lesser-known member of the camas family. While its more famous cousin, common camas, gets most of the attention, small camas (Camassia quamash azurea) deserves a closer look, though with some important caveats.

What Is Small Camas?

Small camas is a perennial forb – essentially a non-woody flowering plant that comes back year after year. Unlike shrubs or trees, forbs like small camas don’t develop thick, woody stems above ground. Instead, they survive winter by storing energy in underground structures and send up fresh growth each spring.

This native plant goes by the botanical name Camassia quamash azurea, and you might occasionally see it listed under its synonyms Camassia quamash var. azurea or Quamasia azurea in older references.

Where Does Small Camas Call Home?

Small camas has a surprisingly limited native range for a North American native. You’ll find this plant naturally occurring only in British Columbia, Canada, and Washington state. This restricted distribution is part of what makes it special – and potentially concerning from a conservation standpoint.

The Rarity Factor: Why This Matters

Here’s where things get important for conscientious gardeners. Small camas carries a global conservation status of S5T2T4, which indicates some level of rarity concern. While the exact meaning of this ranking isn’t clearly defined in available resources, any plant with such a limited geographic range deserves our respect and careful consideration.

If you’re interested in growing small camas, please ensure you source it responsibly. This means:

• Purchase only from reputable native plant nurseries
• Verify that plants are nursery-propagated, not wild-collected
• Never harvest from wild populations
• Consider supporting conservation efforts for this species

Should You Grow Small Camas?

The honest answer is: it depends on your commitment to responsible gardening. If you live within its native range (British Columbia or Washington) and can source it ethically, small camas could be a meaningful addition to a native plant collection. However, given its rarity and limited availability, most gardeners might want to consider its more widely available relatives.

For those outside its native range, this plant isn’t the best choice for your garden anyway – native plants perform best when grown within their natural geographic regions.

Growing Considerations

Unfortunately, specific growing requirements for Camassia quamash azurea are not well-documented in available resources. If you do manage to acquire this plant through responsible sources, you’ll likely need to work with specialized native plant growers or botanical experts familiar with Pacific Northwest camas species to ensure successful cultivation.

Better Alternatives for Most Gardeners

If the idea of growing camas appeals to you but small camas isn’t practical or available, consider these alternatives:

• Common camas (Camassia quamash) – more widely available and better documented
• Great camas (Camassia leichtlinii) – another beautiful Pacific Northwest native
• Other regional native bulbs appropriate for your specific location

The Bottom Line

Small camas represents the fascinating diversity found within our native plant communities, even among closely related species. While it’s not a plant most gardeners will grow, knowing about it helps us appreciate the complexity of native ecosystems and the importance of conservation.

If you’re passionate about rare natives and live in its limited range, small camas might be worth seeking out – just remember to do so responsibly. For everyone else, there are plenty of other wonderful native plants that can bring the beauty of wild landscapes to your garden without conservation concerns.