A team of scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London revealed the largest waterlily species in the world has been discovered after a case of mistaken identity that saw it hide in plain sight for 177 years, with the species of the aquatic plant named as new to science.

Figure 1. The largest waterlily species in the world

Figure 1 shows that, leaves that can grow up to 10 feet wide and carry the distributed weight of a full-grown man, it may seem like a hard plant to overlook. But due to a lack of existing research on giant waterlilies, it took the team years of investigation to establish that a previously unidentified species had been living in Kew's herbarium all along.

The latest addition to the lily pad family has been named Victoria boliviana in honor of the research team’s Bolivian partners and after one of the South American homes of the giant waterlily. [1]

As Magdalena germinated and grew the seeds back at Kew, watching the waterlily grow side by side with the other two Victoria species, he knew he had found something unique.

As she illustrated the giant lilies, documenting flowers that can grow larger than a soccer ball, change between white and pink, and only open up at night, Smith told NBC News she began to recognize the unique distinctions of the V. Boliviana, whose leaves are so large they can be seen through satellite imagery, according to Smith. [2]

“We still don't know how many populations there are and how much they vary in size. We don't really understand the pollination biology very well. We don't know a lot about the dispersal of the species - how it transmits itself from one place to another.

“So, there are still many unknowns. And I think, because they're so huge - so obvious - people haven't really thought to study them in that much detail.

References:

1. https://news.yahoo.com/scientists-discover-giant-waterlily-hiding-161323472.html
2. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/scientists-discover-new-giant-waterlily-was-hiding-plain-sight-177-yea-rcna36533
3. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61725827

Cite this article:

Sri Vasagi K (2022), Scientist Notice a New Massive Waterlily, AnaTechMaz, pp.118