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The Poisonous Death camas (death lily) plant looks like an onion.

Toxicoscordion venenosum var. venenosum death cama

Death camas, death lily

Death camas Description

Toxicoscordion venenosum grows up to 70 cm tall with long, basal, grass-like leaves. The bulbs are oval and look like onions but do not smell like edible onions. Still, the poisonous Death Camas (or Meadow Death camas) plant arises from a bulb and may be mistaken for an onion plant.

Its leaves are long and grass-like. Its small (quarter inch), cream or white colored flowers are six-parted and the petals have a green, heart-shaped structure on them. Numerous flowers grow in pointy clusters on showy stalks above the leaves.

All parts of this plant are very poisonous. Remember, Death camas do not have an onion smell.  Young plants and seed parts are extremely poisonous.

Death camas Habitat and Distribution

Death camas is found in wet, open, sunny habitats, and in dry meadows although some species favor dry, rocky slopes. They are common in parts of the western United States. Some species are found in the eastern United States and in parts of the North American western subarctic and eastern Siberia.

Zygacene, the common defense of death camas species, is a deadly alkaloid neurotoxin, with substantial levels in leaves, stems, bulbs, nectar and pollen. Poisoning can occur with consumption of just one or two bulbs.  In humans, zygacene first causes a cluster of symptoms referred to with the acronym SLUDGE, for Salivation, Lacrimation, Urination, Defecation, GI upset, and Emesis. Cardiac toxicity leads to very low blood pressure and neural toxicity results first in pins and needles in the extremities followed by loss of coordinated movement, coma and death. Symptoms of poisoning include spasms and rapid breathing, low heart rate, diarrhea, deep tendon reflexes, coma, twitching, nausea, abdominal pain, dizziness, flushing, headache, and blood in vomit.

It has been said that eating rich fish or beef broth, grease, or butter may counteract the poison.  Activated charcoal may also help counter the poison.

Death camas picture gallery

Image Credits

In-Article Image Credits

Deadly Zigadenus, Meadow Death-camas via Wikimedia Commons by Walter Siegmund with usage type - GNU Free. June 5, 2009
Deadly Zigadenus, Meadow Death-camas flowers closeup via Wikimedia Commons by Walter Siegmund with usage type - GNU Free. June 5, 2009
Zigadenus venenosus var. venenosus via Wikimedia Commons by Stan Shebs with usage type - GNU Free. April 2007
Meadow Death-camas, Deadly Zigadenus via Wikimedia Commons by Walter Siegmund with usage type - GNU Free. June 30, 2007
Meadow Death Camas, Common Death Camas via Wikimedia Commons by Walter Siegmund with usage type - GNU Free. April 20, 2009
False Hellebore (Veratrum viride); b , c Death Camus (Zigadenus venenosus) via Wikimedia Commons by Fyles, Faith (1920) Principal Poisonous Plants of Canada with usage type - Public Domain. 1920
Death Camas botanical illustration via Wikimedia Commons by Baker, Eustace Thurman with usage type - Public Domain
Toxicoscordion venenosum var. venenosum death cama via Wikimedia Commons by Thayne Tuason with usage type - Creative Commons License. May 29, 2011
Zigadenus venenosus death camas flowers and stem via Wikimedia Commons by Matt Lavin with usage type - Creative Commons License. June 20, 2009
Zigadenus venenosus var. venenosus death camas via Wikimedia Commons by Walter Siegmund with usage type - GNU Free. June 30, 2007
Meadow Death-camas, Deadly Zigadenus via Wikimedia Commons by Walter Siegmund with usage type - GNU Free. June 30, 2007
Zigadenus venenosus via Wikimedia Commons by Matt Lavin with usage type - Creative Commons License. June 14, 2009
Zigadenus venenosus death camas stem closeup via Wikimedia Commons by Matt Lavin with usage type - Creative Commons License. June 14, 2009
Death camas in sagebrush vegetation via Wikimedia Commons by Matt Lavin with usage type - Creative Commons License. June 2, 2003
Melanthiaceae toxicoscordion venenosum Meadow Death Camas via Wikimedia Commons with usage type - Creative Commons License. April 20, 2018
Field of Zigadenus venenosus (Death Camas) via Wikimedia Commons with usage type - Creative Commons License. April 25, 2010
Toxicoscordion venenosum—Meadow deathcamas via Wikimedia Commons by John Rusk with usage type - Creative Commons License. June 1, 2013

Featured Image Credit

Toxicoscordion venenosum var. venenosum death cama via Wikimedia Commons by Thayne Tuason with usage type - Creative Commons License. May 29, 2011

 

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