Instagram photo leads to discovery of Colombian water lily
Researchers described a new giant water lily after a social-media photo prompted an expedition to the Orinoco.
Botanists have described a new species of giant water lily in Colombia: Victoria colombiana. The scientific paper appeared in the journal Phytotaxa after an Instagram photo put researchers on the trail of a plant that did not fit within the known distribution of other species.
According to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the first clue came from a photograph taken in Colombia five years ago by American plant enthusiast Jeremiah Harris. He initially identified the plant as a known species. Carlos Magdalena, a researcher at Kew, noticed that the site on the Inírida River did not correspond to the known distribution of that species.
Researchers then began combining satellite imagery with field information. A team from Kew, Bogotá’s botanical garden and local Indigenous experts searched the river area for flowering specimens. This was important because a formal species description requires sufficient botanical material.
The researchers ultimately documented seven plants in two lakes. According to Kew, the leaves can grow to about two metres across. The species differs from related water lilies in, among other things, features of the ovary and its spines.
The publication is a formal taxonomic description in a scientific journal, not a preprint or an announcement of an unconfirmed discovery. This means that the species’ name and characteristics have been scientifically recorded; it does not yet mean that its full distribution or population size is known.
Kew estimates that only thirty to fifty specimens may remain in the wild and therefore already calls the species critically endangered. That estimate is based on the observations available and should be read with caution, because hidden plants in difficult-to-access rainforest are hard to count.
The research also shows how different kinds of knowledge can complement one another. Social media provided the first clue, satellite imagery helped with the search and local knowledge made it possible to find a second population. The researchers stress that protection is now becoming more important, precisely because the species appears to have such a limited distribution.
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The discovery and scientific description have been confirmed by Kew and El País. Uncertainties surrounding the total population have been explicitly presented as an estimate.
- confirmed Victoria colombiana has been described as a new species in Phytotaxa. — Reported by Kew and El País. source
- confirmed The first clue came via an Instagram photo by Jeremiah Harris. — Described by Kew. source
- confirmed Researchers documented seven plants in two lakes. — Reported by Kew. source
- uncertain There may still be thirty to fifty specimens in the wild. — This is an expert estimate, not a complete count. source
Editor's note
The species description, the field discovery and the estimate of 30 to 50 wild specimens were reported by Kew and independently described by El País. The population estimate remains provisional.Sources
- New giant waterlily species described after chance Instagram sighting — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- Victoria colombiana: descubren nueva especie del emblemático lirio de agua gigante — El País América Colombia
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „waterlelie colombia”
- Trouw — „waterlelie colombia”
- NRC — „waterlelie colombia”