Scientists describe new giant waterlily Victoria colombiana found in Colombian jungle
Victoria colombiana, with an estimated 30 to 50 plants left in the wild, was identified after a horticulturist noticed an Instagram photo taken in Colombia's Inírida region. A five-day expedition then located the plants.
A photo on Instagram
Jeremiah Harris, who runs a carnivorous plant nursery in the United States, posted photos of giant waterlilies he had taken in the Inírida region of Guainía, Colombia. Harris identified the plant as the more common Victoria amazonica. Carlos Magdalena, a horticulturist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, noticed that the natural range of that species does not extend to the Inírida River. Accounts of when the photo was taken differ, placing it between three and five years ago, and one places the post in December 2021. Magdalena then scanned satellite imagery of the river and its lakes and spotted several giant waterlily pads from a single plant. Harris confirmed that those matched the plants he had photographed.
Planning and a five-day search
Magdalena worked with Mauricio Bernal of the Jardín Botánico de Bogotá José Celestino Mutis and with members of local indigenous reserves, Nilo Rodriguez, Jaime Hernandez and Gustavo Melo, to plan a field trip to the site. One account says the planning took more than two years, and another says almost two years. The five-day expedition into the Inírida rainforest turned up just two plants, and neither was in flower. A flowering specimen matters because botanists need a pressed and dried herbarium specimen, which requires a flower, to tell species apart. The plants also appeared to be suffering from high floods and a late but intense rainy season.
The night before the return flight
With about 10 hours left before the flight, the team continued along the Inírida and Guaviare rivers without finding more plants. On the night before the return to Bogotá, Magdalena told his troubles to the expedition boatman, Gustavo Melo, of the Tucano indigenous community, which is known for its navigation skills. Melo said he knew exactly where more plants could be found. The team set off at 1 am in complete darkness, heading away from the airport into the flooded forest. Just before dawn they reached a small lake where they found a second population of five more plants, one of them in flower.
It was so emotional I shed a tear, it was one of those moments that will remain with me for life.
The team documented seven plants across two lakes and returned to the airport in time for their 9am flight to Bogotá.
- Team locates two plants, neither in flower
- Magdalena tells boatman Gustavo Melo about the search, and Melo says he knows where more plants are
- Team departs in complete darkness, heading away from the airport
- Team reaches a small lake with five more plants, one in flower
- Seven plants documented across two lakes
A new species and its outlook
The material gathered was enough to begin the formal scientific description, which was published in the journal Phytotaxa. The team named the species Victoria colombiana because it apparently occurs only in Colombia. An estimated 30 to 50 plants remain in the wild, and the species is classed as critically endangered. Its leaves reach up to two metres across, while giant waterlilies in general can measure up to three metres. Conservation plans include a possible naturalised population in a more accessible lake within indigenous territory, support for local ecotourism, and an additional safeguarded group of plants away from their remote natural habitat.
Giant waterlilies give away their secrets slowly.
Magdalena said that the search for unknown populations using satellite imagery is essential, adding that many species are being destroyed before scientists get to know them.
