The Sego Lily is one of the first plants I learned to identify in Utah. The bulb is very tasty and sweet. It has a starchy texture similar to a potato. It is a treat for sure. Even my kids love to snack on the. They are a little difficult to dig sometimes because they will grow among rocks and can be anywhere from 2 inches under the soil to 10 inches down or more. I’ve found that using a digging stick or weed puller is often the best option because you can carefully dig around the rocks. If you find a large rock near one and can pry that rock up the bulb will often be found easily as it may be hugging that rock under ground.

The stem of the flower is very fragile and they cannot be pulled from the ground. If the stem breaks then you significantly lower your chances of finding the treat below the surface. When this happens to me I have learned my time is often better spent searching for a new bulb to dig up. I have not found fields packed tight with Sego Lily but have been able to harvest a couple hands full in a short amount of time. I am not sure what the Utah pioneers were seeing when they used them for a food source in 1848-49 but if it was anything like what I see today it would have been a lot of work to get them out of the ground.

The Sego Lily is said to have some poisonous look-similars but as with most plants you will not misidentify this plant once you come to know it. In some areas Death Camas does grow near the Sego Lily. If you know the sego lily and see a death camas growing near it you will see quite a difference.

The easiest way to tell the difference is to see the flower as the two look nothing alike when flowering. Another option is to cut the bulb in half and look at the rings. The Sego Lily will never have more than 4 rings and usually does have four (though I have seen only 3 in small bulbs). The Death Camas has multiple rings like an onion. Death camas rings are paper thin and the sego lily are always thick. If you truly learn to know this plant you have no danger of eating a poisonous one. Just be sure to learn the Sego lily well first. THis is one that I always show in my walks each year. It is good to learn about this plant in all stages of life. The bulb can be eaten at any time during the plants life but is best in early spring.

As with any wild edible, please be responsible with harvesting. Generally you do not want to take more than about a 3rd of the colony of plants in any given area so you allow the rest to repopulate. I sometimes harvest from lots where house are being built (with permission of course) and in these areas there is less concern for depleting a source because the entire colony will be destroyed soon anyway but when in nature please be responsible and take only what you need or a small portion to leave some for others to enjoy and to allow the plants to continue to thrive.

“Contrary to popular belief, our state flower (the Sego Lily, Calochortus nuttallii) enjoys no specific legal protections. But like any other native plant material, landowner permission is required for removal and a written permit if transported on a Utah highway. Moral/ethical considerations also apply. Native plants usually do not survive being transplanted and many require specific soils and/or have other special requirements. Grow native plants from seed or purchase locally grown native plants appropriate for your area. ” -UNPS.org (see resources below)