Ses flowers exceed the size of a human head: a new species water lily has been identified in Bolivia, which happens to be the largest in the world! The largest specimens reach 3.2 meters, and “could certainly support the weight of a young child”, said Natalia Przelomska, a member of a research team from Kew Gardens in the UK. Or even the weight of an adult of 80 kilograms. “Although we haven’t tested it!” »continue N.Przelomska.
Meet Victoria boliviana, the record-breaking giant waterlily which has been named new to science at Kew after spending 177 years hidden under the surface of our collections.
Uncover more about this fascinating discovery: https://t.co/lqLFc7r0RNpic.twitter.com/G3NGOo0KYx
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Mixed with other giant water lilies of the species amazon victory at Kew Gardens for 177 years, researchers only realized it was a different species very recently! Named Bolivian Victory, this species was described in a study published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science. In the wild, it thrives in northeast Bolivia, where its large size allows it to catch a lot of sunlight. ” The biodiversity under the tropics is so high that when a water zone opens up — for example, because rivers suddenly become larger due to a flood — water lilies can thrive here because they grow very quickly and capture much of the light from soleil », explique N.Przelomska.
