Colombia Discovers New Giant Water Lily Species
Colombia has added a new species to its biodiversity: Victoria colombiana, a giant water lily identified in the Inírida region of the department of Guainia. The discovery was confirmed by an international team of researchers who combined technological tools, scientific expeditions, and knowledge from Indigenous communities to demonstrate that the plant belongs to a species […]
International researchers have confirmed the discovery of a new giant water lily species in Colombia, named Victoria colombiana. This discovery was made in the Inírida region of the Guainia department. The research team utilized satellite imagery to locate potential specimens in the Orinoco River Basin, where no previous scientific records of the genus Victoria existed.
The expedition involved navigating the Inírida and Guaviare rivers, guided by local knowledge, and ultimately identifying five new specimens. The discovery was published in the scientific journal Phytotaxa and highlights the rarity of the species, with only 30 to 50 wild specimens estimated to remain.
Written by urgent.news from Colombia One's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
