The Royal Botanic Gardens in London has long been home to an astonishing water lily, known as Victoria boliviana, boasting leaves that can span a remarkable 10 feet in width. However, after spending 177 years tucked away in the gardens’ herbarium, researchers have recently made an incredible revelation—it belongs to an entirely new species. Truly amazing, isn’t it?
In a recent announcement from London’s Kew Gardens, it has been unveiled that Victoria boliviana is the largest known species of water lily in the world. In its natural habitat, the leaves of this species can reach nearly 10 feet in width. However, the La Rinconada Gardens in Bolivia house the most colossal specimen, with leaves that stretch to an impressive width of 10.5 feet.
Among the species within the Victoria genus, the giant water lily stands out with its extraordinary leaf capable of supporting a staggering weight of up to 176 pounds without breaking.
Alex Monro, a taxonomist, systematist, and field botanist at Kew, expressed his excitement over the identification of a new species in the Victoria genus. The discovery of V. boliviana is a significant achievement in the field of botany, as it aids in accurately identifying and documenting plant diversity. This knowledge is vital for the protection and sustainable utilization of plant species. The new species had commonly and erroneously been identified as Victoria amazonica, one of the two previously known giant water lilies. Due to the loss of live specimens of the original species and the scarcity of biological collections of giant water lilies, disagreements arose regarding the number of recognized species and incorrect naming throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. This study aimed to enhance our understanding of Victoria water lilies.
Led by Carlos Magdalena from Kew’s scientific and botanical research team, a group of experts, including Lucy Smith, a botanical artist, and Natalia Przelomska, a biodiversity genomics researcher, has made a remarkable discovery. Collaborating with partners from the National Herbarium of Bolivia, Santa Cruz de La Sierra Botanic Garden, and La Rinconada Garden, they have uncovered a species of giant water lily that has not been observed in over a century. To achieve this breakthrough, the team meticulously compiled information from historical records, horticulture, and geography. They also employed DNA analysis to construct a comprehensive dataset of species characteristics. Kew is the only place in the world where all three Victoria species grow together, facilitating a comparison that would otherwise be impossible in the wild. Magdalena believes this was crucial to their discovery.
The Kew Gardens have nurtured specimens of Victoria boliviana for an impressive 177 years. According to a study, this species is genetically distinct from the other two known species but closely related to V. cruziana. The researchers posit that these two species likely diverged around one million years ago. Magdalena, a botanist who had been studying internet pictures of wild Victoria water lilies for nearly two decades, began suspecting the existence of a third species in 2006 after coming across a photo online. After officially naming the new species, he considers this to be his greatest career achievement at Kew. Visitors can marvel at the giant water lily in the Waterlily House and the Princess of Wales Conservatory at Kew Gardens, where it is on display for all to appreciate.
