What does Migdalski Roundabout in Otwock have in common with the Shoshone tribe?

During the Second World War, Captain Zygmunt Migdalski was a soldier in the Home Army and very effectively made life difficult for the Nazis in Otwock and the surrounding area. Among other things, he organised highly successful raids on trains carrying weapons and supplies for the German army on the Eastern Front. In communist Poland, he was wanted for "underground activities" and had to flee the country. The people of Otwock, however, remember their heroes, and a small roundabout near the station in Otwock has been named after Migdalski.

For some time now, Migdalski Roundabout has been planted with a beautiful blue or purple bulbous perennial, quite rare in Polish gardens, called kamasja.

Kamasia, or quamash as it was originally known, originates from North America. The first Europeans to learn of its existence were the participants of the Lewis and Clark expedition – a journey lasting over two years, commissioned by President Jefferson, aimed at exploring the so-called Louisiana, recently purchased by the Americans from the French. The purchased lands almost doubled the area of the United States at that time; they formed 13 states and still constitute almost 25% of the USA.

During the expedition, Lewis, Clark and their companions managed largely thanks to the help of Sacajawea of the Shoshone tribe and her husband, the French-Canadian trapper Toussaint Charbonneau, who assisted them not only as guides but also as interpreters. It was from them that the expedition members learnt that the camas bulb, or prairie lily, is edible. They also learnt that it is essential to be able to distinguish it from a poisonous, similar flower of a different species, known as 'death camas'.

Camas bulbs can be boiled or dried and ground into flour. They contain some protein and a little fat, but are primarily rich in carbohydrates, which helped people survive periods when other food was less available. Camas has been added by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity to the list of foods belonging to cultures and traditions from around the world that are at risk of extinction, known as the Ark of Taste.

It was Maximilian Leichtlin who introduced it to Europe for good; he had a soft spot for bulbous plants, and lilies in particular. Leichtlin established a botanical garden in Baden-Baden, ran a plant nursery and sold plants to the gardens of wealthy European spa-goers. In recognition of his contributions, the Latin name for the camassia is Camassia leichtlinii.

Perhaps there is something symbolic in the fact that a flower introduced by a German grows at the roundabout named after a Pole who fought against the German occupation – a gift from the Native Americans to the newly arrived settlers, who did not reciprocate their kindness.