In 2021, Jeremiah Harris, an American visitor, shared a photo of himself swimming among giant water lilies in Colombia's Inirida region. With his gardening background, Harris initially believed these were Victoria amazonica water lilies.

However, when botanist Carlos Magdalena unexpectedly saw the image, he recognized it as a potentially undiscovered species. The natural range of the Victoria water lily genus does not extend to Colombia's Inirida River. Magdalena then used satellite imagery to pinpoint the photo's location and planned a field survey with other experts.

Harris swimming among the giant water lilies during his 2021 trip to Colombia. *Photo: Guardian*

The survey team embarked on a five-day expedition into the Inirida rainforest. They located two water lily plants, but could not identify them because they were not flowering. Flowers are essential for creating "pressed specimens," which botanists use for species identification.

On the final day, Magdalena expressed his concern to Melo, the team's boat driver, about not yet finding a suitable specimen. Melo, a member of the indigenous Tucano community known for their innate navigational skills, knew precisely where they needed to go.

The team set out at 1h, while it was still dark, with only 10 hours remaining until their flight. They ventured deeper into the flooded rainforest, eventually reaching a small lake in the heart of the jungle. There, the group discovered a second population of 5 water lily individuals, including one in full bloom.

This discovery provided the documentation needed to begin the formal scientific description for the new species: "Victoria colombiana." The team recorded a total of 7 individuals across two lakes before returning to the airport to catch their flight. According to a representative from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London, England, this new water lily species may be critically endangered, with only about 30 to 50 individuals remaining in the wild.

Carlos Magdalena holding a leaf of Victoria colombiana. *Photo: Guardian*

"This is one of those extraordinary stories where indigenous knowledge, horticultural expertise, social media, and technology combined to create a botanical achievement," Magdalena stated, adding that nature holds many wonders yet to be discovered.

The research team is working to include this species in the official Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They also hope to collect more seeds for propagation. If these efforts succeed, this water lily species will likely be cultivated at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Maarten Christenhusz, a botanist and historian working in Wales for the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, noted that new plant species are still found regularly, but rarely are they "large, spectacular, and iconic like this one." While full information about the flower has not yet been published by Magdalena, Christenhusz suggested its size is so immense it "can be seen from space."

By Hoai Anh (Sources: People, Phytotaxa, Guardian)