Giant waterlilies

These huge aquatic plants are native to tropical South America.

Giant Waterlily

Giant waterlilies (Victoria amazonica)

Did you know?

  • Giant waterlilies (Victoria amazonica) were first discovered in Bolivia in 1801 and subsequently named in honour of Queen Victoria
  • the enormous leaves, which grow to over 2.5m across, have a network of protruding ribs on the underside, which give the leaf buoyancy and stability
  • a mature leaf can support 45 kg, if the load is evenly distributed
  • the flowers are large and fragrant, but relatively short-lived, lasting only 48 hours or so. As each flower matures, it changes colour from white, through pink, to purplish-red, finally sinking below the surface

 You can see Kew's giant waterlilies in the Waterlily House and the Princess of Wales Conservatory

 

1 comment on 'Giant waterlilies'

Abigail Pajak says

20/10/2009 5:19:00 PM | Report abuse

they look huge!I wonder how big they actully are...

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Your Kew

We invite photographers to capture the sights at Kew and Wakehurst. These images are a selection of images submitted by photographers from around the world. We hope you enjoy them. You can see more on Flickr.