New Giant Water Lily Species Discovered in Colombian Orinoco Basin

A chance Instagram photo of a giant water lily in Colombia’s Inírida River sparked a five‑day expedition that confirmed a previously unknown species of the genus Victoria. Botanist Carlos Magdalena, working with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and local researchers Nilo Rodríguez, Jaime Hernández and Gustavo Melo, used satellite imagery to locate several large floating pads—each more than 3 m (10 ft) across—along the river and nearby lakes. The plant’s enormous leaves are visible from space, underscoring its rarity. Scientists have classified the new species as critically endangered, highlighting the urgent need for habitat protection in the Orinoco Basin.