Castilleja victoriae is a recent addition to the flora of British Columbia and Canada. The earliest known collection was made in Victoria by Macoun in 1893 but it was not recognized as a distinct species until recently (Fairbarns and Egger 2007). It occurs in vernal seeps and pools at three locations in the Victoria area. The only other known location for the species is on a small islet in the San Juan Islands of Washington. It is distinguished from Castilleja ambigua by its compact, generally unbranched form, its largely uniform “root-beer” brown herbage, the absence of a pale marginal band on its floral bracts and the absence of spots on its corolla. The ranges of Castilleja ambigua and Castilleja victoriae do not overlap in Canada as the former is restricted to wetlands (usually tidal meadows) along the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Reference:

Fairbarns, M. and M. Egger. 2007. Castilleja victoriae (Orobanchaceae): a new rare species from southeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, and the adjacent San Juan Islands, Washington, U.S.A. Madrono 54:334-342.

Note Author: Matt Fairbarns, November 5, 2009.