Death Camas (Toxicoscordion venenosum) Death Camas is a flowering plant with cream colored or white flowers growing in pointed clusters. They can be easily confused with edible onions. They grow in dry meadows, dry hillsides as well as sagebrush slopes. They have grass like leaves. All parts of the plant are poisonous. It is dangerous for humans as well as livestock. Consumption of 2 to 6% of the body weight is likely to be fatal. It is particularly toxic to sheep as they tend to choose forbs to eat, 1/2 lb. to 2 lbs. of green meadow death camas will kill a 100lb. sheep. Most human poisonings are caused by confusing the bulbs with wild onions, considered by some to be more potent than strychnine. The Blackfeet and other Native American tribes used meadow death camas externally to cure boils and rheumatism. Elaine Nelson McIntosh suspects death camas may have been to blame for the illnesses that plagued the Lewis and Clark expedition. The group was suffering from malnutrition when the Nez Perce gave them fish and bulbs they thought were blue camas (an edible plant). The plants were not in bloom so hard to differentiate between the two. Soon after the group fell violently ill for weeks. They ate their dogs to sustain themselves for the rest of the expedition.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 16:14:13 +0000
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