Victoria boliviana

© James Ashworth Natural History Museum 2022

The world’s largest lily pad has been discovered in the wetlands of northern Bolivia. Even though it is visible from satellite imagery, Victoria boliviana had remained undetected until now. The solving of a botanical mystery has led to the discovery of one of Earth’s largest plant species. Though its leaves grow over three metres wide, Victoria boliviana has been overlooked for almost 200 years. Confusion with its close relatives, as well as wider scientific uncertainty, has meant that it has only just been described as its own species.

For Carlos Magdalena, a waterlily expert at Kew Gardens and one of the paper’s co-authors, the new description is the culmination of over 16 years of work.

‘Ever since I first saw a picture of this plant online in 2006, I was convinced it was a new species,’ he says. ‘For almost two decades, I have been scrutinising every single picture of wild Victoria waterlilies over the internet, a luxury that a botanist from the 18th, 19th and most of the 20th century didn’t have. It was clear to me that this plant did not quite fit the description of either of the known Victoria species and therefore it had to be a third.’

The team also discovered evidence of a fourth species of giant waterlily but need to conduct further research to confirm its identity. Read more…