Victoria water lily: Giant leaf can support a human

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A water lily is an aquatic plant beloved by many people. The masterpiece "Water Lilies" by French painter Oscar-Claude Monet has been popular for over a century.

Most water lilies have delicate flowers and leaves, floating exquisitely on the surface of the water. However, there is a kind of water lily that has giant leaves that can support a heavy load, even a human.

The flower and leaves of Victoria water lily. /VCG Photo

The Victoria water lily belongs to the genus Victoria, in honor of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. It is a tropical plant that can thrive in tropical areas with humid and warm weather.

The plant has the largest leaves among all aquatic plants. Its leaves are huge, covering a wide area when floating in water. The species known as the giant water lily even has leaves which have diameters up to three meters.

Victoria water lily has large leaves. /VCG Photo

Victoria water lily's leaf is not only famous for its size, but also the ability to support a heavy weight. Though the leaf itself is very delicate, by distributing the weight across the surface, the leaf could easily support a child or even a lean adult.

Some leaves of the Victoria water lily are strong enough to hold an adult. /VCG Photo

The flower of Victoria's water lily is also considered magical. Its flower is beautiful and fragrant, but blooms only for two to three days before it sinks into the water.

Giant water lily's flower is famous for its pineapple fragrance, which allows it to attract beetles as pollinators. It appears to be white while opening on the first day, closes at night and re-opens on the second day with the color changed into pink. Such a fantastic phenomenon attracts a lot of tourists during each August.

The fragrant flower of giant water lily. /VCG Photo

The Victoria water lily comes from South America, and was introduced to other regions afterward.

In China, this beautiful plant is growing in botanic gardens everywhere. The best ornamental period of this plant is June to October.

(Cover image via VCG.)

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