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Project Noah Nature School
Victoria amazonica
The largest lily pad is about five feet across. It was December, and only one emerging bloom and one bud were present, and the unopened flower (looked like it would open to about 9-10" across) had no scent yet (supposed to be really sweet!). The 4th photo shows a very young leaf and bud, and this and the 3rd photo show what the underside of the leaf looks like. They're bright crimson.
A small oxbow lagoon just off the Amazon River was covered with these huge Victoria Water-lily pads.
I think there are quite a few cultivars of this, including some with deep purple flowers, but the wild ones, opening at night, are white, turning to pink the second day/night. They're beetle pollinated. The flowers keep the beetles happy by heating the inside of the flower as much as 8-10° above the ambient temperature.
Spotted on Dec 28, 2010
Submitted on Jan 28, 2016
1 Comment
Photo No. 1: is a beautiful photo....