Camas (Camassiaspp.) and riceroot (Fritillariaspp.): Two liliaceous “root” foods of the Northwest Coast Indians

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Abstract
Camas (C. quamash and C. leichtlinii) and riceroot (F. camschatcensis and F. lanceolata) were important root foods for the Indians of the Northwest Coast of North America. Camas and the latter species of riceroot were used predominantly in the southern part of the region, whereas F. camaschatcensis was used as far north as Alaska, as well as on the Aleutian Islands and the Kamchatka Peninsula. Camas bulbs were marketed, and their harvesting and cooking were often large-scale communal enterprises. Nutritional analyses show that these species would have provided meaningful quantities of fiber, N, trace elements and energy, if thoroughly cooked.