Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 12 hrs ago
Researchers identify a new giant water lily species in Colombia
Researchers have identified a new giant water lily species in Colombia’s upper Orinoco basin, near Inírida.
They named it Victoria colombiana, and the findings were published in the scientific journal Phytotaxa.
Its leaves can reach 2.5 metres across, making the plant strikingly large.
The discovery followed years of research and an expedition by horticulturists Carlos Magdalena and Mauricio Bernal, with support from Indigenous communities in Guainía.
Comparisons with stored plant samples helped confirm it was distinct from other known Victoria water lilies.
The discovery matters because it adds a species to a group of South American plants known for their enormous leaves and unusual flowers.
Researchers used satellite imagery to locate plants in the Orinoco basin, though the available accounts do not say what further work is planned.
Researchers have identified a new giant water lily species in Colombia and named it Victoria colombiana.
The team published its findings in the scientific journal Phytotaxa.
The plant was found in the Orinoco basin near Inírida, after researchers searched for five days.
Its leaves can reach up to 2.5 metres in diameter, according to BBC.
The discovery followed a photograph of a water lily in the region that prompted researcher Carlos Magdalena to investigate.
- Who
- Researchers including Carlos Magdalena and Mauricio Bernal, alongside members of Indigenous communities in Guainía.
- What
- They identified and described a new giant water lily species, named Victoria colombiana.
- When
- The findings were published in October 2026. The expedition lasted five days.
- Where
- In the Orinoco basin near Inírida, Colombia.
- Why
- Magdalena noticed that a water lily photographed in the region did not fit the known distribution of Victoria species, prompting further investigation.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Carlos Magdalena saw photographs of a water lily in the Inírida area on Jeremiah Harris’s Instagram profile.
Magdalena contacted Harris for the location’s coordinates and called his Colombian colleague Mauricio Bernal.
Researchers searched the Orinoco basin for five days and found the plant near the end of the final day.
The researchers’ findings were published in Phytotaxa.
- Species
- Victoria colombiana
- Location
- Orinoco basin near Inírida, Colombia
- Leaf diameter
- Up to 2.5 metres
- Search
- Five days
- Scientific journal
- Phytotaxa
3 sources
Descubren en Colombia un nenúfar gigante que puede verse desde el espacio y sorprende a los científicos
"Victoria colombiana": el fascinante descubrimiento de un nenúfar gigante en Sudamérica que se ve desde el espacio
Victoria colombiana: descubren nueva especie del emblemático lirio de agua gigante
What people are saying
It was madness. Our eyes were shining. Achieving it after such a long journey and five days of searching was exciting.
To classify Victoria colombiana, we compared these samples. They are different Victoria species. That is how we were able to describe it.
It captivated me. It is a crazy plant, from the time of the dinosaurs.