Local Indigenous guides were critical to finding ‘Victoria colombiana.’ Image: Carlos Magdalena

One cold December day in 2021, Colorado carnivorous plant grower Jeremiah Harris shared some pictures of wild Amazonian giant water lilies ( Victoria amazonica ) plants in the Inírida River in Guainía, Colombia to Instagram. There’s just one problem. No known Victoria water lily species grow there.

When water lily expert Carlos Magdalena saw the post on Instagram, he suspected a new plant species could be involved. To investigate the matter, he used satellite imagery to remotely search the Inírida River and its surrounding lakes and confirmed the presence of Victorias.

And yes, you can see these enormous plants from space. Victorias grow the world’s second largest single plant leaf.

Victoria colombiana is the fourth Victoria water lily to be described. Image: Carlos Magdalena.

Magdalena is a botanical and scientific research horticulturist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in the U.K.…