The North American Natives

There are very few North American Native spring flowering bulbs. I know of only 5: Erythronium tuolumnense, Camassia cusicki, Camassia quamash, Allium cernuum and Allium amplectens. These five bulbs are rarely found in the gardens of Americans even though they represent our bulb heritage.

Erythronium tuolumnense

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Erythronium tuolumnense, AKA The Dogtooth Violet, is native to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Central California where it grows in the pine and evergreen oak woods at an elevation of 1650 feet. Its name comes from the place where it was first found – Tuolumne County, California. The plant is hardy from Hardiness Zones 3-9.
Each plant has green leaves that are slightly crinkled at the edges and a flower stem that produces as many as four blossoms which resemble small yellow species lilies (the ones with highly reflexed petals). It can reach a height of 12-14 inches.
This plant multiplies quite rapidly through prolific offsets when it is placed in an area where it is happy. It can tolerate, even flourish in partial shade, but it prefers an open area where it can dry out in the summer.
Plant the bulbs 4-6 inches deep and 4 inches apart.

Camassia quamash

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Meriwether Lewis and William Clark first found this plant in 1806 when they were on the homeward leg of their historic expedition. They discovered it growing on the Weippe prairie in Clearwater Canyon, Idaho.
Quamash was an important food source for the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. They would dry the bulbs over a fire and then store them for consumption during the winter.
Scottish plant hunter, David Douglas, introduced the plant into commercial production in 1827.
This 14-16 inch plant produces grayish green grassy leaves and a sturdy flower stem from which emerge about eight dark blue, star-shaped flowers. It is hardy from Hardiness Zones 4-10.
Plant the bulbs 4-6 inches deep and 6 inches apart.

Camassia cusickii

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Taller and more statuesque than its cousin, Camassia quamash, Camassia cusicki can reach a height of 24-30 inches, but is usually in the 20-24 inch range. The plant is native to the West Coast of Canada and the US from Northern California to British Columbia. It is hardy from Hardiness Zones 4-10.
Cusicki produces stunning pale blue flowers on an extremely sturdy stem. The leaves are a pleasant grayish green.
All Camassias make good cut flowers because they last a long time after being cut.
In the wild Camassias can be found in damp, fertile soil, unlike most bulbs which prefer dry, well drained environments. Camassias can be grown near stream beds and other bodies of water.. They can tolerate some partial shade, but do best in full sun. They can also thrive and some say even prefer the damp heavy clay environments which can be found throughout the US.
Plant the bulbs 8 inches deep and 12 inches apart.

Allium Amplectens Graceful Beauty

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Introduced in 1857, Allium amplectens is a very rare, small (12-14 inch) plant which produces delicate, 1-2 inch globes.
The petals of the flowers in each globe are softened by pale lavender dots and central veins. The overall effect is of a flower of Graceful Beauty, hence its name.
Amplectens is native to Northern California and coastal Oregon. It is hardy from Hardiness Zones 4-10. The plants multiply by doubling in number every 2-3 years. They do best in full sun, but in warmer climates (Zones7-10) can tolerate partial shade.
Plant the bulbs 4-6 inches deep and 4 inches apart.

Allium cernuum

One of the most dramatic flowers you will ever grow, Allium cernuum, AKA The (pink) Nodding Onion, is a tall (20-30 inch) plant with grassy leaves and a flower that evokes drama from the bud through the bloom to the dried head. The elongated bulbous bud looks like a miniature version of the fetal sack from a kitten or puppy. Once this ‘sack’ has burst the pinkish brown stems droop exotically as they attempt to hold up the delightfully deep pink flowers. The dried heads resemble little umbrellas that have been ravaged by a fierce wind and lost their cloth protection.
Cernuum is native to a large part of North America from New York State to British Columbia in the North to Georgia through Arizona in the South.
Like the Camassias, Cernuum was once an important food source for the Okanagan-Colville Indians of Washington State. They would steam the roots in fire pits.
This plant was introduced into cultivation in 1800.
If planted in a moist area that dries out in the summer, Cernuum will thrive often producing multiple flower stems whose blossoms last well into the fall. It is hardy from Hardiness Zones 4-10.
Plant the bulbs 4-6 inches deep and 4 inches apart.
There are probably a few other bulbs that are native to North America, but these five are the standouts. They have graced out prairies, our mountainsides, our alpine meadows and the edges of our streams and lakes and fed our indigenous peoples for millenia. Meager in number as they are, they are truly our horticultural heritage. In every garden in America there is a place for at least one of these historic beauties.

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