The world's largest water lily has been discovered! The giant water lilies that have been growing in london's Kew Herbarium for the past 177 years have recently been discovered to be a new species. This is the first time in more than 100 years that a new type of water lily has been discovered. Together with the addition of two other known giant water lilies, the total number reaches three.
The discovery, made after a premonition by water lily experts, was published in Frontiers in Plant Science. In 2006, after Magdalena saw a picture of the plant online and became convinced that a third species of Victorian plant existed, horticulturist Carlos Magdalena and plant artist Lucy Smith led the discovery.
In a statement with IFLScience, Magdalena shared: "For nearly two decades, I have been scrutinizing every photograph of a wild Victorian water lily on the Internet, a luxury that botanists in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries did not have. ”
The plant has two specimens, one in Kew Gardens and one in the Bolivian National Herbarium, which has been growing for the past 34 years and is considered part of the Genus Victoria Amazon. The team conducted a thorough investigation and concluded that it was part of a new scientific species.
The new name was chosen in honor of the country where the water lilies were found and the Bolivian duo that has been working on the project. Located in the aquatic ecosystem of Llanos de Moxos, Victoria Bolivia is considered the largest giant water lily species in the world. Its leaves can grow up to 10 feet wide. The current record is held in the water lily found in the Garden of Larinconada in Bolivia, with leaves over 10 feet in diameter!
The researchers used historical records, geographical, horticultural records, and living specimens to identify the species. They also did so by browsing posts labeled Victoria as well as other water lily plants.
Plant artist Lucy Smith visited the greenhouse to display the giant water lilies when she came to a similar conclusion to Magdalene. Her visits to the illustrations were carried out at night, as the flowers only opened at night. So it has only just been confirmed as a new species.
