quamash
- noun
- /ˈkwɑːmæʃ/
- US
:
quamash
- The Native Americans harvested quamash bulbs each spring for their nutritious and delicious flavor.
Examples
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Under the oaks grew camas (Camassia quamash), wapato (Sagittaria latifolia), wild onions, and other bulb, root, and seed plants.
Blog text (5) -
I saw beautiful blue flowers of quamash blooming in the meadows near the river.
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During our hike, we spotted quamash growing abundantly in the wetlands, attracting various pollinators.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A plant with grass-like leaves and star-shaped blue or white flowers
A plant with large edible bulbs and blue flowers used as food by native people
A plant from western North America with a large edible bulb and tall stems of blue star-shaped flowers
A plant with long grass leaves and blue or purple star-shaped flowers grown for its edible bulb
A plant that comes back every year with blue or purple star-shaped flowers and an edible bulb
A plant with star-shaped blue or white flowers and a starchy edible bulb
Compounds
- Specialized
A plant from western North America with a large edible bulb and tall stems of blue star-shaped flowers
Surface Forms
Etymology
Quamash comes from a Native American name for the plant used by people of the Pacific Northwest, where it was an important food. They dug up the plant for its 'edible bulbs', so today quamash still means the blue-flowered plant known for its bulbs that people can eat.