Anticlea elegans var. elegans (Smooth Camas) - photos and description

 

 

 

 

 

 

General: Elegant member of the lily family, having onion-like bulbs for roots, leaves mostly basal forming a dense clump. Plants glabrous, stems may have a light powdery bloom.

Flowers: Star-shaped blooms in a loose raceme we measured the racemes to 16 cm long. The flowers are greenish-white in colour, having 3 petals and 3 sepals. I measured flowers at 18 mm in diameter.

Leaves: Leaves are basal, grass-like, greyish-green to light green in colour. Leaves to 35 cm long.

Height: Height listed in Budd's Flora to 60 cm tall, we measured plants to 53 cm tall.

Habitat: Moist meadows.

Abundance: Common.

Origin: Native.

Similar species: Could be confused with Death Camas (Toxicoscordion venenosum var. venenosum), however that plant's flowers are in dense raceme, and are gold in colour.

Synonym: Listed in many of the field guides we use as Zigadenus elegans.

When and where photographed: Took the above photos June 23rd, in a moist field 30 km southeast of Regina, SK, and July 13th in a pasture in the parklands about 225 km east of our home in Regina, SK.