New giant waterlily species discovered in Colombian jungle from Instagram photo

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 06:00 · Archive

A new species of giant waterlily with leaves visible from space has been discovered in Colombia's Inírida River, with only an estimated 30 to 50 plants surviving in the wild.

A new species of giant waterlily has been discovered in Colombia after appearing in an Instagram photograph. Waterlily expert Carlos Magdalena from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, spotted the plant in a photo posted by American carnivorous plant nursery owner Jeremiah Harris, who had mistakenly identified it as Victoria amazonica, a more common species. Magdalena recognised that no known Victoria species had a natural range extending to the Inírida River in Guainía, Colombia, where Harris had photographed it.

Magdalena spent several years analysing satellite imagery and securing permits to verify the plant's presence, eventually identifying several enormous lily pads visible from above that belonged to a single plant. He subsequently teamed up with researchers from the Jardín Botánico de Bogotá José Celestino Mutis and indigenous reserve members to organise an expedition to the site. The team undertook a nocturnal boat expedition through flooded rainforest to secure evidence to confirm the plant previously unknown to science.

The newly named Victoria colombiana boasts lily pads stretching up to two metres in diameter, making them visible from space. However, the species is already considered critically endangered, with only an estimated 30 to 50 individual plants believed to survive in the wild. Plans are afoot to protect it.

How it is being reported

• Science breakthrough after new giant waterlily species discovered thanks to Instagram postExperts discovered an incredibly rare new species of giant waterlily after spotting it in an Instagram photo. The species, formally named the Colombian giant waterlily (Victoria colombiana), boasts lily pads stretching up to two metres in diameter, yet only an estimated 30 to 50 individual plants are believed to survive in the wild. The remarkable path to its formal scientific description took waterlily specialist Carlos Magdalena from a social media post through satellite imagery analysis and collaboration with indigenous communities. Afterwards, the team undertook a dramatic nocturnal boat…GB News · 9 Oct, 05:52
• How a plant selfie in Colombian jungle led to ‘jaw dropping’ giant waterlily findSpecies with leaves large enough to be seen from space is already critically endangered – and plans are afoot to protect it A chance social media encounter has led to the race-against-time discovery of a new species of giant waterlily that has until now been hidden in the depths of Colombia’s jungle. But the plant, which is so huge it is visible from space, is already considered critically endangered. Continue reading...The Guardian · 9 Oct, 05:00

In this story: Carlos Magdalena · Jeremiah Harris · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · Colombia · Inírida River · Guainía

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