Flower profile

Atlantic camas

Camassia scilloides

Atlantic camas (Camassia scilloides) is a flowering plant in the Asparagaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–May across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Atlantic camas is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–May.

23states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

7,188U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Arkansas, Missouri

Quick look

Camassia scilloides is a perennial herb known commonly as Atlantic camas, wild hyacinth, and eastern camas. It is native to the eastern half of North America, including Ontario and the eastern United States.
From Wikipedia's article Camassia scilloides, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asparagaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 23 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Missouri and Arkansas. ^NatureServe
In Missouri, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. ^iNaturalist
In Arkansas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as blue. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as mid spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 2.5 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 929 research-grade sightings of it in Missouri, ranking #70 among the 177 flowers on our Missouri list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 685 research-grade sightings of it in Arkansas, ranking #68 among the 170 flowers on our Arkansas list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,760 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Missouri	Native	April–May	929
Arkansas	Native	April–May	685

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Missouri: Not listed Not on Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Missouri. ^{3 CSR 10-4.111}
Arkansas: No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arkansas.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: GA (S2), IA (S2), MI (S2), MS (S2), NC (S1), PA (S1), SC (S2), VA (S1), WI (S2), WV (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleEdible (per NC State Extension)

NC State Extension notes: “Bulbs are edible. Can be confused with Zygadenus nuttallii, or Death Camas, whose bulbs appear similar, but are known to be poisonous.” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records atlantic camas in 23 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.

Missouri counties with USDA records: Adair, Barry, Barton, Bates, Benton, Boone, Butler, Camden, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Cass, Cedar, Chariton, Christian, Cole, Cooper, Crawford, Dade, Dallas, Dent, Douglas, Franklin, Greene, Henry, Hickory, Howell, Iron, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Laclede, Lawrence, Linn, Macon, Madison, Maries, Marion, McDonald, Miller, Monroe, Morgan, Newton, Oregon, Ozark, Perry, Pettis, Phelps, Pike, Polk, Pulaski, Ralls, Saline, Shannon, St. Clair, St. Francois, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Taney, Vernon, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster.

Arkansas counties with USDA records: Arkansas, Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clark, Cleburne, Columbia, Conway, Faulkner, Franklin, Garland, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Independence, Izard, Lawrence, Little River, Logan, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Newton, Polk, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Scott, Sebastian, Sharp, Stone, Van Buren, Washington, Yell.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Atlantic camas a low shade tolerance, low drought tolerance and medium moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 4.2 to 6.5 and winter lows down to -28 °F.

Shade tolerance: Low
Drought tolerance: Low
Moisture use: Medium
Soil textures it is adapted to: medium, fine
Soil pH range: 4.2 to 6.5
Minimum temperature tolerated: -28 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum): 100
Annual precipitation range: 30 to 55 inches
Minimum root depth: 10 inches
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: Medium
Growth rate: Moderate
Lifespan: Moderate
Active growth period: Spring and Summer
Fruit or seed: Brown · Spring to Spring
Can be propagated by: bulb, seed
Commercial availability: Routinely Available

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for CASC5. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Camassia esculenta, Quamasia hyacinthina.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 468 counties across 23 states; the most are in Illinois (72), Missouri (65), Ohio (52).

Other Camassia on Bloomipedia (2): Small camas, Great camas.

More from the Asparagaceae family (34 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Yuccas, Solomon's plume (false Solomon's seal), Canada mayflower, Blue dicks, Common star-of-Bethlehem, Star-flowered lily-of-the-valley, Chaparral yucca, Mojave yucca.

More Missouri flowers

Common star-of-Bethlehem

Ornithogalum umbellatum

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in MO: April–May

Amur honeysuckle

Lonicera maackii

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in MO: April–May

Mayapple

Podophyllum peltatum

Native

🌼 Blooms in MO: April–May

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CASC5.
iNaturalist, Camassia scilloides: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Camassia scilloides (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Missouri: Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants.
Missouri: Missouri noxious weed list (2 CSR 70-45.005).
Arkansas: Arkansas State Plant Board noxious weeds and prohibited plants (2 CAR § 50-101).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Camassia scilloides (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Peter Chen 2.0 via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.