Kamassia is a wonderful flower, but it is rarely possible to meet it on our personal plots. Gardeners prefer to grow familiar species, bypassing the exotic beauty. But professional landscapers love this unpretentious plant because it can liven up a composition and gets along well with other flowers.
Classification
Kamassia belongs to perennial herbaceous bulbous plants. Today it is isolated in the Agavaceae family, a little earlier this species was considered a representative of the Liliaceae (Lily) family.
The Camassian genus has not been studied in detail. It is believed that it consists of 6 species that grow massively in the temperate zones of North America.
Description of the plant
Kamassia is a perennial flower, its bulbs in temperate zones do not require winter digging. All types of Camassia have numerous elongated belt-like leaves in the root zone. Sheet length about 50 cm, width - no more than 5see. Before flowering, the plant resembles a neat bunch, the leaves of which are somewhat similar to the leaves of a narcissus. The peduncle of camassia is tall and leafless. Depending on the species, it can be from 35 cm to 1 m tall. Each peduncle ends with an inflorescence-brush, collected from numerous star-shaped flowers. The color of the flower can be cream, white, but most often these are various variants of blue, up to a rich blue. Camassia is sometimes found, the flower of which has a dark purple color. Flowers consist of 6 elongated petals.
Watching the flowering of Camassia is very interesting. The lifespan of an individual flower in an inflorescence is only a day, but the brush consists of several dozen such flowers. Therefore, decorative qualities are preserved for 2-2.5 weeks. And after flowering, cute three-leaved boxes filled with black small seeds appear. During this period, the plant does not spoil the appearance of the flower bed, but on the contrary, gives it a special sophistication.
Camassia does not need advertising on flower growing sites. The flower, the photo of which is available in this article, blooms in late May - early June. It is during this period, when the tulips that are familiar to us, fade, miniature lilies appear in flowerbeds and flower beds, collected in lush erect brushes.
The appearance of the bulb
The first camassia bulbs appeared in Europe only at the dawn of the 19th century. They differed somewhat in appearance, as they had a membranous structure. This means that each bulb is made up of numerousscales.
The shape of the bulbs can be broadly ovoid or spherical. Their diameter, depending on the species, is from 4 to 6 cm. The bulbs of some species are edible, which is why the plant was popular with the indigenous population of North America at home.
Common species. Camassia Kuzika
Among the small genus of camassia, there are three types that are most often used in garden design:
- kamassia Kuzik;
- camassia Leuchtlin;
- quamash (edible camassia).
Let's start the story with a description of S. Cusickii, that is, Kuzik's Camassia. The camassia Kuzika flower is medium in size. The plant can rise up to 80 cm, but there are undersized forms that do not exceed 40 cm. This species blooms from mid-May to early June. Although most often flowering ends by the end of May.
Kuzika's camassia flower, the photo of which is presented in this article, has a light blue tint. Its bulbs are collected in groups of several. The length of each bulb is approximately 8 cm, and the diameter is not more than 5 cm. One of the features of the species is the unpleasant odor emanating from the bulbs.
Peduncles of Camassia Kuzik stretch up to 80 cm. Of these, 40 cm is occupied by the inflorescence. The leaves are pointed sword-shaped or belt-shaped. The color of the sheet is gray-green, the structure is grooved, the edges are slightly wavy. Peduncle brush contains up to 100 flowers with pointed narrow bracts. The diameter of each flower is approximately 3 cm.
KamassiaLeuchtlin
This type of camassia has broadly ovoid bulbs about 4 cm in diameter. They can be eaten. The leaves of the plant are linear. The length of the leaf usually does not exceed 60 cm. The stem of the peduncle reaches 1 m, the inflorescence takes up to 20 cm from this height. The brush can contain from 6 to 60 flowers. Flowers come in a wide range of colors including creamy white, light blue, lilac blue and purple. There are varieties with abundant double flowers.
The flowering period comes in late May - early June. Sometimes blooms in the first half of June. Inflorescences please about twenty days.
Kwamash
Kvamash is a camassia, the flower of which has the lowest stem. The height of the plant can be from 25 to 60 cm. This characteristic largely depends on the growing conditions. The second name of this species is edible camassia. But in European flowerbeds, this plant is grown not for an acceptable taste, but for its beautiful appearance. Low-growing camassia has beautiful inflorescences of rich colors. Most often these are purple-blue variations, but sometimes pale blue inflorescences are found. One of the most beautiful varieties of Blue Melody has, for example, bright blue flowers with golden stamens. And the foliage of this variety is bordered with a white thin stripe, which enhances the decorative qualities of the plant.
Quamache bulbs taste sweetish, but to achieve this, a long heat treatment is necessary. The Indians, for example, kept quamash bulbs in earthen ovens for 24 hours.
Growing and care
What actions will the camassia flower require from the gardener? Growing and caring for this plant is usually not a problem. For bulbs, choose a lighted or semi-shaded place. It is advisable to plant in soil that can retain moisture. But the landing sites should not be subjected to stagnant waterlogging. The plant does not need regular watering. It is necessary to provide the plant with water only in a dry hot period, and at the same time not be zealous. But the spring top dressing the plant needs. Perform it with complex mineral fertilizers. In autumn, the landing site is mulched with peat or humus. This will protect the bulbs from winter freezing and serve as additional top dressing.
Bulbs are planted in September-October. Planting depth is from 10 to 15 cm. The plant will need a transplant in 4-6 years. During this time, the curtain of the plant will become lush, and its inflorescence - as colorful as possible. When transplanting, the bulbous nest is dug up, divided and immediately determined for a permanent place.
Reproduction
You can use seeds to propagate Camassia. They are sown at the end of autumn, but the flowering of the resulting plants occurs only after 3-4 years. A faster result can be obtained with reproduction by children. Daughter bulbs in the nest are formed in 3-4 years, but after division, the plant blooms pretty soon.
It is important to remember that the plant to be divided is dug up at the end of flowering. About 3 weeks they are stored in a ventilated place, rootswhile not being cut. They share the nest just before disembarking.
I would like the camassia flower to appear more often in flowerbeds and alpine hills. Reviews about this plant are optimistically positive, so we can hope that flower growers will pay attention to a plant that can please the eye in the off-season, when the spring flowers have already faded and the summer time has not yet come.
