Victoria colombiana: new giant water lily species described in Colombia after an Instagram photo

Researchers have identified a new species of giant water lily in Colombia, named Victoria colombiana, according to ContilNet Notícias. The plant was found in the Inírida region in the east of the country. Scientists estimate that only 30 to 50 specimens exist in the wild. The description was published this week in the journal Phytotaxa. contilnetnoticias.com.brContilNet Notíciascontilnetnoticias.com.brOpen source ↗

How the plant was identified

On 13 December 2021, American Jeremiah Harris posted an Instagram photo of himself swimming in the Orinoco Basin next to the plant. He believed it was Victoria amazonica, a variety already known in the Amazon region.

Horticulturist Carlos Magdalena of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the UK doubted the identification. The traditional species is not native to areas near the Inírida River, which prompted the inquiry.

Using satellite images and with the help of residents and local Indigenous communities, the scientists organised a five-day expedition. The group found a flowering specimen on the last night of searching. Botanists consider flowering essential for confirming that the plant is distinct. contilnetnoticias.com.brContilNet Notíciascontilnetnoticias.com.brOpen source ↗

Conservation plan

During the expedition the team catalogued seven more plants in two lakes in the region. It also proposed that Victoria mattogrossensis be recognised as a separate species.

Given the small number of plants found, the researchers intend to submit a formal assessment to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to classify Victoria colombiana as critically endangered. The preservation plan includes growing seeds in botanical gardens and planting new specimens in lakes near Indigenous areas to protect the species.