prairie wildflower

Atlantic camas

Camassia scilloides

Also known as Wild Hyacinth

Native to much of the USA and southern Canada

South Carolina to eastern Texas, north to western Pennsylvania, southern Ontario, southern Wisconsin and eastern Kansas

Light Part shade to shade Sun tolerance
Moisture Dry Moisture preference
Zones 5–9 Cold to heat range
Bloom Apr–May Flowering time
Height up to 2 ft to 0.6 m
Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial

Full details, see below

In the garden

A prairie wildflower for part to full shade and lean, dry soil. Its white flowers peak in May. At up to 2 ft, it suits meadows and sunny borders. Hardy in USDA zones 5–9.

Growing conditions

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Hardiness zones

Find your zone:

When it blooms

The Atlantic camas's white flowers bloom April to May, peaking in May. This late-spring display draws bees and flower flies.

Atlantic camas blooms white, blue & purpleFoliage

Pollinators & wildlife

Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also Western Honey Bee, Eastern Carpenter Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee +40 more
Two-spotted Bumble Bee, American Bumble Bee, Ligated Furrow Bee, Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee, Bombus fervidus, Black-and-gold Bumble Bee, Orange-legged Furrow Bee, Agapostemon texanus, Flat-tailed Leafcutter Bee, Golden Sweat Bee, Confusing Furrow Bee, Spurred Ceratina, Blue Orchard Bee, Eastern Thistle Longhorn Bee, Bufflehead Mason Bee, Rugose-chested Sweat Bee, Cresson's Mining Bee, Red-footed Cuckoo Leafcutter, Articulated Nomad, Ceratina dupla, Nomada superba, Experienced Sweat Bee, Osmia pumila, Spot-sided Dark Bee, Triepeolus cressonii, hoary sweat bee, Melissodes vernoniae, Nomada affabilis, Andrena personata, Tickseed Longhorn Bee, Augochloropsis fulgida, Colourful Willow Miner Bee, Two-spotted Miner Bee, Nomada parva, Leioproctus clypeatus, Agapostemon viridulus, Eucera belfragei, Forbes's Sweat Bee, Augochlorella persimilis, Tetragona dissecta
Flower flies Narrow-headed Marsh Fly

also Thick-legged Hover Fly, Black-shouldered Drone Fly, Wavy Mucksucker +4 more
Palpada meigenii, Epistrophe emarginata, Paragus bicolor, Pictipennis species group
Butterflies Red Admiral

also American Lady, Eastern Tailed-Blue, Red-banded Hairstreak +2 more
Common Sootywing, Silvery Checkerspot
Also visited by
- Beetles:
  
  Slender Flower Longhorn Beetle, Acmaeodera tubulus +1 more
  Chlorophorus glaucus
- Wasps: Fraternal Potter Wasp

Butterflies that use this plant

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Full plant details

Where it grows

Habitat: PrairieThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: Much of the USA and southern CanadaUnited States (24): AL, AR, DC, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV. Canada (1): ON. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: South Carolina to eastern Texas, north to western Pennsylvania, southern Ontario, southern Wisconsin and eastern KansasThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Growing conditions

Light: Part shade to shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: DryThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 5–9 · Canadian 7–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Moist, well-drained soils. Limestone-based, Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, ClayThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil texture: Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
Soil pH: 4.2–6.5The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
Soil quality: MediumHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
Water use: MediumHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
Salinity tolerance: NoneHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: HighHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.

Growth & form

Height: up to 2 ft (to 0.6 m)Typical mature height.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
Growth rate: ModerateA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
Shape: ErectIts overall silhouette.
Root depth: 10+ in (25+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.

Flowers, foliage & fruit

Type: WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: Apr–MayWhen it flowers.
Flower color: White, Blue, PurpleThe bloom color, or colors.
Fruit/Seeds: ripens Apr–JunThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
Toxicity: None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.

Propagation & seed

Cold stratification: Required (cold, moist)Whether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
Propagation: Bulb, seedHow to start new plants.
Seed spread rate: SlowHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
Seedling vigor: MediumHow strongly young seedlings establish.
Vegetative spread: SlowWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.