Flower profile
Great camas
Camassia leichtlinii
Great camas is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Oregon it's most often seen in bloom in April–May.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Oregon
Quick look
Camassia leichtlinii, the great camas or large camas, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae. This herbaceous perennial is native to western North America in British Columbia, Canada and California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, in the 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 4 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Oregon. NatureServe
- In Oregon, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 3,529 research-grade sightings of it in Oregon, ranking #43 among the 110 flowers on our Oregon list. iNaturalist
Great camas gift ideas
Handmade great camas gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Great camas art print
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Great camas greeting card
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Great camas mug
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Great camas earrings
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Great camas embroidery pattern
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Great camas sticker
When does it bloom?
In Oregon, most flowering sightings come in April–May.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Oregon
- Not listed Not on Oregon endangered and threatened plants (OAR 603-073-0070). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oregon. OAR 603-073-0070
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 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 great camas in 4 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington.
Oregon counties with USDA records: Benton, Clackamas, Coos, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Grant, Harney, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Wasco, Washington, Yamhill.
More Oregon flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CALE5.
- iNaturalist, Camassia leichtlinii: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Camassia leichtlinii (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Oregon: Oregon endangered and threatened plants (OAR 603-073-0070).
- Oregon: Oregon noxious weed quarantine, A and B weeds (OAR 603-052-1200).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Camassia leichtlinii (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Dee Shea Himes via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.