• A species of enormous waterlily native to South America has broken multiple world records.
• Lily pads of the species Victoria boliviana can expand to a width of more than 10 feet.
• The most recent specimen known was grown in Bolivia and has a diameter of 10 feet, 6 inches.

A species of enormous waterlily native to South America has broken multiple world records, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

The largest waterlily species, the largest waterlily leaf, and the largest undivided leaf according to the Guinness Book of World Records are all Victoria boliviano.

The species was just recently recognized as a separate species by a group of researchers led by Carlos Magdalena, horticulturalists and scientific research horticulturist at Kew Garden.

This is the first new species of giant waterlily to be confirmed in more than 100 years 🪷@kewgardens https://t.co/aDONkPJQ0A

— Guinness World Records (@GWR) January 30, 2023

The species spent 177 years in the Royal Botanic Gardens in London. Huge waterlilies were thought to be a separate species known as Victoria amazonica before the distinct species was discovered.

The newly discovered species is the first new big waterlily species to be identified in more than a century.

Kew Gardens tweeted, “It’s official: Victoria boliviana is the world’s largest giant waterlily. The discovery made last year now holds the Guinness World Records titles for: Largest species of waterlily, largest waterlily leaf, largest undivided leaf.”

https://twitter.com/kewgardens/status/1620060554269454336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1620060554269454336%7Ctwgr%5E112cf44702f52fd43a43bf92b6abd3f2e2d49569%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.upi.com%2FOdd_News%2F2023%2F01%2F31%2Fgiant-waterlily-breaks-world-records%2F3751675179424%2F

Lily pads of the species Victoria boliviana can expand to a width of more than 10 feet and can hold up to 176 pounds of weight. The most recent specimen known was grown in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, at the La Rinconada gardens, and it has a diameter of 10 feet, 6 inches.

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