''Victoria'' or giant waterlily is a genus of water-lilies, in the plant family Nymphaeaceae, with very large green leaves that lie flat on the water's surface. ''

Victoria boliviana ''Victoria boliviana'', or the Bolivian waterlily"Bolivian waterlily"
Royal Botanic Gar ...

'' has a leaf that is up to in width, on a stalk up to in length. The genus name was given in honour of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It pushes other water plants aside as it spreads out until only those of its kind remains. When this happens it has completely cut out the sunlight from getting to any plants below the water. All three species typically have four sepals each measuring long by wide. There are typically 50 to 70 petals and 150 to 200 stamens.

Extant species

The first published description of the genus was by John Lindley in 1837, based on specimens returned from British Guiana by

Robert Schomburgk Sir Robert Hermann Schomburgk (5 June 1804 – 11 March 1865) was a German-born explorer for Great Britain who carried out geographical, ethnological and botanical studies in South America and the West Indies, and also fulfilled diplomatic missio ...

. Lindley named the genus after the new Queen, Victoria, and the species ''Victoria regia''. An earlier account of the species, ''Euryale amazonica'' Poeppig, in 1832 described an affinity with ''

Euryale ferox ''Euryale ferox,'' commonly known as prickly waterlily, makhana or Gorgon plant, is a species of water lily found in southern and eastern Asia, and the only extant member of the genus ''Euryale''. The edible seeds, called fox nuts or ''makhan ...

''. A collection and description was also made by the French botanist

Aimé Bonpland Aimé Jacques Alexandre Bonpland (; 22 August 1773 – 11 May 1858) was a French explorer and botanist who traveled with Alexander von Humboldt in Latin America from 1799 to 1804. He co-authored volumes of the scientific results of their ex ...

in 1825. The leaf is able to support a weight of up to , suitably distributed, although the leaf surface is delicate: so much so that "a straw held 6 inches above and dropped perpendicularly upon it would readily pass through it".

References

External links

Giant waterlily at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
{{DEFAULTSORT:Victoria (plant) Nymphaeaceae Aquatic plants Flora of Guyana Flora of the Amazon Nymphaeales genera