Bloomipedia
Atlantic camas (Camassia scilloides)
Photo: Peter Chen 2.0 via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Atlantic camas

Camassia scilloides

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
2of our state lists
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.

  • 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 109 flowers on our Missouri list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 685 research-grade sightings of it in Arkansas, ranking #67 among the 109 flowers on our Arkansas list. iNaturalist

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,760 records)
Bloom time in each of our 2 states
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
MissouriNativeApril–May929
ArkansasNativeApril–May685

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.

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.

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Sources