A newly discovered species of giant water lily had been hiding in plain sight for 177 years.
The enormous plant was in the archives of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and growing in several aquatic collections, but it was misidentified as a different species.
Now, a comprehensive scientific study has revealed that it is a discovery.
It is also the largest water lily in the world, with leaves measuring more than 3 meters (10 feet) wide.
The plant has been given the scientific name Victoria boliviana, after Bolivia, where it grows in a single water basin within the Amazon river system.
Horticulturist Carlos Magdalena, one of the world’s foremost authorities on water lilies, suspected for a long time that the plant was distinct from the two other known giant species, Victoria amazonica, and Victoria cruziana.
Working with Bolivian scientists from the National Herbarium of Bolivia, Santa Cruz Botanic Gardens, and La Rinconada Public Botanic Garden, he gathered seeds and brought them back to Kew.
He told, “It meant we could cultivate it alongside the two other species under identical conditions. Once we did this, it became abundantly clear that every part of the plant was distinct.”
He called the discovery the “highpoint” of his career.
Lucy Smith, a botanical illustrator who collaborated with Carlos, drew scientific illustrations of all three species.
This also required entering the glasshouse at night, as water lily flowers only bloom at night.
She stated, “I had access to the flowers, and by observing the leaves, I was able to highlight the differences I observed as an illustrator.
As I drew these distinctions, they grew stronger in my mind, and I discovered new ways to tell them apart.
She added, “Perhaps I’m biased, but I believe [the new species] has one of the most beautiful flowers of the three species.”
Kew has a long history with plants; in 1852, the Water lily House was constructed to display its collections.
The genus was named after Queen Victoria because the giants, discovered in the 1800s, were a natural marvel of the time.
However, the discovery demonstrates that water lilies still contain some surprises, and scientists assert that they have much more to teach us.
Dr. Alex Monro from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, explained that none of the three species have been extensively studied.
“We do not yet know how many populations there are or how much their sizes vary. We have a limited understanding of pollination biology. We do not know a great deal about the dispersal of the species, or how it moves from one location to another.
Thus, there remain numerous unknowns. And I believe that because they are so enormous – so obvious – people have not studied them in great detail”.
