New Giant Waterlily Species Victoria colombiana Identified After Instagram Sighting, Already Critically Endangered
An unexpected Instagram post resulted in the discovery of a new giant waterlily species, named Victoria colombiana, in Colombia. This journey began in 2021 when Carlos Magdalena from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, came across images shared by Jeremiah Harris, who had initially labeled it as Victoria amazonica. Magdalena then coordinated an expedition with researchers from the Bogotá Botanical Garden, where they identified seven plants in two separate lakes. Assisted by boatman Gustavo Melo, they located a flowering specimen in a remote lake. Their research, published in Phytotaxa on October 9, 2026, established it as the fourth species within the Victoria genus. With only 30 to 50 individuals remaining in the wild, conservation measures and an IUCN evaluation are underway.
Key facts
- A new giant waterlily species, Victoria colombiana, was discovered in Colombia after an Instagram post in 2021.
- The species produces floating leaves up to 2 meters (6.6 feet) across.
- Only 30 to 50 individual plants are estimated to remain in the wild.
- The discovery was made by Carlos Magdalena of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and researchers from Bogotá Botanical Garden.
- The plant was initially misidentified as Victoria amazonica by Jeremiah Harris.
- The team located seven plants across two lakes during a five-day expedition in the flooded rainforest.
- The findings were published in Phytotaxa on October 9, 2026, making it the fourth recognized species in the genus Victoria.
- Conservation efforts include cultivating plants from seeds in Bogotá and seeking an IUCN assessment.
Entities
Artists
- Carlos Magdalena
- Jeremiah Harris
- Gustavo Melo
- Maarten Christenhusz
Institutions
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- Bogotá Botanical Garden
- Phytotaxa
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- Bogotá's botanical garden
- International Union for Conservation of Nature
- Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland
- The Guardian
- Phys.Org
- Jeremiah's Carnivorous Plants
Locations
- Colombia
- Inírida
- Inírida River basin
- Bogotá
- Inírida River
- Guainía
- London
- United Kingdom
- Wales