Wild Hyacinth is a perennial bulb native to central and eastern United States, often found in moist meadows, stream banks, or open woods. USDA lists this plant as threatened in North Carolina. It is best grown from bulbs planted in moist, fertile, acidic, humusy, well-drained soils and allowed to grow in full sun to part shade. Plants develop slowly, grow 1 to 3 feet tall and are usually long-lived. They do not form bulb offsets but reproduce by seed. These will take up to 3 years to flower. Place the bulbs 4 to 6 inches deep and 6 inches apart in the fall in a site where they will remain undisturbed. Provide regular moisture during spring growth and bloom. After blooming, the plant will tolerate drier conditions as it heads for summer dormancy. Flowers consist of a terminal raceme of fragrant, pale blue, pink to white flowers that bloom sequentially from the bottom of the raceme to the top. Each raceme typically holds up to 20 flowers. Basal leaves turn yellow and wither after flowering and go dormant by mid-summer. Use these spring-flowering bulbs in borders, containers, mass planting and for naturalization. Use in cottage, pollinator/native or cutting gardens. Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. More information on Camassia .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
Less than 12 inches
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Rosulate
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Keeled, linear, grass-like leaves, 5 to 15 inches long and 1/3 inch wide, in a basal rosette. They are medium to dark green, margins entire and undersides have a prominent mid-rib.
Flower color
Blue; Green; White
Flower value
Fragrant; Good Cut; Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Flowering stalk rises up to 2 feet supporting 3/4-1 inch pale blue, pink or white flowers that bloom in April and May. Six-pointed, star-shaped flowers on an elongated, loose raceme with green bracts that flare out from under the flower. Stamens are bright yellow.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Green
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
1/3 inch long and wide 3-celled seed capsule is green maturing to brown. Each capsule contains many small black and shiny seeds.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Slender, light to medium green, and glabrous central stem
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Central and Eastern North America
Wildlife value
Attracts bees, flies, butterflies, and wasps seeking nectar from the flowers.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Pollinators; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Nuts
Harvest time
Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Edibility
Bulbs are edible. Can be confused with Zygadenus nuttallii, or Death Camas, whose bulbs appear similar, but are known to be poisonous.