Wild hyacinth

The scientific name for Wild hyacinth is Camassia scilloides. The term 'camassia' came from Native Americans who consumed the bulbs along with early European settlers. 'Camas' and 'quamash' were words used to indicate sweet. *

The flowers of Wild hyacinth somewhat resemble those of the cultivated Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis) but they are only distantly related. Both are placed in the Asparagaceae family.

* Although the bulbs are considered edible, it is NOT recommended to eat them as there are several deadly poisonous plants that can be easily confused with Wild hyacinth.

Flowering begins with the lowest buds and progresses to the top. There are 10-12 flowers on the single stalk with individual flowers lasting 2-3 days. Overall, the flowering period of this beautiful native is about 2-3 weeks. Flowers open from the bottom of the raceme to the top with color that varies from lavender to pale blue and fades to nearly white. Each flower has 3 sepals, 3 petals and 6 stamens with conspicuous yellow anthers. The lemon-yellow anthers sit atop long filaments that spray past each flower like tiny fireworks. They give the flowers a sparkly look when the sun shines through — just lovely. The green ovary with a central style adds color intensity at each flower base. The flowers have a lovely, soft scent if you bend down to take a whiff!

Camassia scilloides is a long-lived perennial, arising from a bulb in early spring. Its leaves are keeled (having a central crease) and are sometimes folded lengthwise near their origin. They often have a 'floppy' habit.

A single, smooth flower stalk appears after the leaves are established and quickly grows to about 1 1/2 to 2 ft, terminating into a loose raceme of lightly perfumed, lilac colored flowers.

The seed pods or fruits are three-lobed and contain many seeds. Unripe seeds within the seed pods are green, turning black when ripe.

The flowers of Camassia scilloides are primarily pollinated by bumblebees, Cuckoo bees, Halictid bees and Bee flies. Wasps and butterflies also visit the flowers.

It's quite common to find ants crawling on the flowers. They are collecting nectar. Ants may occasionally have pollen grains attach to their bodies when collecting nectar, but they aren't known as effective pollinators. Other insects seeking pollen include bees, flies, butterflies and wasps.

Camassia scilloides grows in a variety of habitats on Ozark Edge, from sunny glades to rocky deciduous woods. The commonality between the various habitats seems to be rocky ground. These native hyacinths don’t form thick masses. They tend to grow singly. But when one is found, careful inspection usually uncovers more nearby. This is not an 'in your face' plant, the pale flowers blend in with the native stone. The casual hiker may pass them by, unaware that such beauty is within a footfall.

Although Camassia scilloides is known across the eastern United States, its numbers are decreasing. Natureserve lists it as Critically Imperiled in Ontario, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. It's listed as Imperiled in Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, South Carolina, Wisconsin. It's Vulnerable in Louisiana and Apparently Secure in Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky. It's ranking is not shown in other states.

In Arkansas, Camassia scilloides has a Conservation Value of 8 in the section of 8-10. This means ‘Conservative taxa with strong fidelity to intact habitats. These taxa tend to exhibit late-successional characteristics like long lifespans with low seed sets and an inability for far ranging dispersal’.

Camassia scilloides bulbs were used as a food source by Native Americans. But, since the plant has a similar appearance to the poisonous Death Camas (Zygadenus nuttallii)it is best to simply observe its beauty and avoid consuming the bulbs.