Rare water lily discovered in Colombia after Instagram post
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Carlos Magdalena, a horticulturist researching at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, noticed photographs on Instagram taken by Jeremiah Harris showing a water lily in the Inirida region of Colombia’s Orinoquia. Magdalena suspected the plant wasn’t a known species of Victoria because records didn’t show the genus existing in that area. He contacted the Jose Celestino Mutis Botanical Garden of Bogota, and biologist Mauricio Bernal Rodriguez joined the research.
The team combined scientific methods, like satellite imaging, with the knowledge of Indigenous guides, Nilo Rodriguez, Jaime Hernandez, and Gustavo Melo, to locate the plants along the Inirida and Guaviare rivers. After an expedition, researchers found seven plants in two lakes, including one flowering, which allowed them to gather samples and formally describe the new species. They named it Victoria colombiana, making it the fourth known species in the Victoria genus.
The plant’s leaves can grow up to three meters in diameter. Scientists estimate only 30 to 50 Victoria colombiana plants remain in the wild. They plan to assess the species for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and explore establishing a protected population and ecotourism opportunities within Indigenous territory. Magdalena stated this discovery shows how Indigenous and horticultural knowledge, along with technology, can reveal exceptional botanical finds.
