Giant water lily

The leaf a child can stand on

This water lily's leaf is 3 metres wide — a child can stand on it and not sink! Under the leaf are air-filled ribs, like a boat. The leaf's edges turn up so water doesn't flood it. The flower opens at night: white on the first night, pink on the second!

The giant water lily (Victoria amazonica) grows in the calm waters of the Amazon basin. Its leaf reaches 3 m across; the network of air-filled ribs underneath supports up to 40 kg — a structure that inspired the roof of London's Crystal Palace in 1851. The underside is covered in spines to protect it from fish and manatees. The flower lives 2 nights: on the first it is white, in its female phase, luring beetles with scent and trapping them inside; on the second it turns pink, in its male phase, and releases the beetles dusted with pollen. In 2022 Kew Gardens described a new species, V. boliviana, with a 3.2 m leaf.

Fun facts

• One leaf holds 40 kg — a 7-year-old can stand on it easily.
• The flower is white the first night and pink the second — and traps beetles inside.
• The leaf's structure inspired the roof of London's Crystal Palace.