Angiosperms: Monocotyledons

Liliaceae
Lily Family

• Stem: perennial; 1 1/2’ to 3’ tall; not branched; smooth.
• Leaves: alternate; mostly from near the base of the stem; linear, tapered to a pointed tip; 8” to 12” by 1/2”; upper stem leaves 2” to 5” by 1/2”; smooth above and below.
• Inflorescence: one to several racemes from the stem tip and upper leaf axils; each raceme to 8” long; bract at the base of each flower stalk about 1” long.
• Flowers: petals and sepals similar, white or greenish white, 1/4” long, with two greenish nectaries on the upper surface of the sepals and petals; stamens flat against the pistil, making a cone-shaped structure 5/16” tall in the center of the flower; flowering from mid- to late June.
• Fruits: capsule, 5/8” long; oval-shaped, tapering toward the tip with divergent style branches; three chambers; fruiting begins in early July.
• Habitat: very uncommon on moist prairies.
• Notes: A related species, white camass, Zigadenus glaucus Nutt., is very uncommon in northeastern Iowa on dry, rocky limestone ridges. It is very similar in appearance but with more branching in the inflorescence and with a shorter fruit (about 3/8” long).
• Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Vascular Plants of Iowa