Chance Instagram photo leads to discovery of new giant waterlily in Colombia

The waterlily, named Victoria colombiana in a paper published on Friday in the journal Phytotaxa, can measure up to three metres across and carry the weight of a small child. The plant is so large it is visible from space. Giant waterlilies are among the oldest flowering plants still alive today; they existed before the continents split apart and appear throughout culture, from the Egyptians to Monet.

Three years ago, Carlos Magdalena, a waterlily expert at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, was scrolling through Instagram when he came across a photo of someone swimming among several giant waterlilies in the Inírida River in Guainía, Colombia. Jeremiah Harris, who took the photo and runs a carnivorous plant nursery in the US, was not aware of its significance and had mistakenly identified the waterlily as the more common Victoria amazonica.

When Magdalena saw the photo, he immediately suspected something was unusual because the natural range of Victoria amazonica does not extend to the Inírida River. He messaged Harris to track down the exact location and spent several years analysing satellite imagery and securing the funds and permits needed to verify the waterlily's presence himself.

With a team from the Jardín Botánico in Bogotá and members of local indigenous reserves, Magdalena went on a five-day expedition deep into the rainforest. They spent several days exploring the flooded jungle without luck until, at the last moment, their driver advised them where to look. With only 10 hours left until their return flight, the team sailed overnight in total darkness to a small lake deep in the flooded rainforest, where they found a population of the waterlilies.

'It was so emotional I shed a tear, it was one of those moments that will remain with me for life,' Magdalena said. 'Coming across something like this is absolutely totally fascinating, it's jaw dropping.' He added: 'Giant waterlilies give away their secrets slowly. It's remarkable. We believe we know everything but the reality is we don't, there's lots of things still to be discovered and protected.'

The team collected the material needed to begin a formal identification. The paper in Phytotaxa confirmed it as a new species to science and gave it the official name Victoria colombiana. There are just three other known giant waterlilies.

Harris, who is an author of the study, said his friends always teased him for taking selfies with plants, but the fact this one ended in the discovery of a new species was 'incredible'. 'I was just so excited, absolutely elated,' he said.

Magdalena said: 'This is one of those extraordinary stories where indigenous and horticultural knowledge with the help of social media and technology came together to uncover a truly extraordinary botanical achievement.'

The team estimates there are between 30 and 50 Victoria colombiana waterlilies in the wild, making them extremely rare and at risk of extinction.

Maarten Christenhusz, a plant taxonomist who analysed the sample, said new species were found all the time, but few were as 'large, spectacular and emblematic as this one. This new giant waterlily can even be seen from space, which is a striking reminder of how much we still don't know about life on our planet.'

The team is working towards an official International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List designation. Efforts are also under way to support the long-term conservation of the waterlily, including the possibility of establishing a naturalised population in a more accessible lake within indigenous territory. The researchers hope to continue efforts to collect the plant's seed, with the aim of cultivating it in Bogotá. If these efforts are successful, there is a chance the waterlily may be grown at Kew Gardens.