New water lily species discovered through Instagram photo
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Botanist Jeremiah Harris took a photo of a large waterlily along the Inírida River in Guainía, Colombia, which prompted further investigation.
Waterlily expert Carlos Magdalena, from the Royal Botanic Gardens in the U.K., noticed the plant's location was outside the known range for Victoria amazonica, suggesting it might be a new species. Satellite images showed the presence of large waterlilies in the area, leading to a research trip to Colombia.
Researchers and local Indigenous experts searched for a flowering specimen to formally identify the plant. After almost a week with no success, a local boatman helped them find five of the new waterlilies, including one in bloom, on the last night before their departure. This allowed them to confirm the discovery of Victoria colombiana.
The team published their findings in Phytotaxa, noting that these waterlilies can grow over six and a half feet in diameter and are among the oldest plants on Earth. Researchers now estimate only 30 to 50 V. colombiana plants remain, and they plan to list the species as Critically Endangered with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
