Breathtaking Display: Oversized Sea Rose in Full Bloom at Botanical Gardens
The Giant Amazon Water Lily, a plant of enormous proportions and often referred to as a "botanical mythical creature", will be on display at the Botanical Garden of TU Braunschweig until mid-September. This fascinating plant, named after the young Queen of England, is known for its large floating circular leaves and multi-petaled, fragrant flowers.
In a seven-month growing season, the plant reaches enormous proportions in the tropical aquatic plant house of the botanical garden. During the summer months, the plant develops shield-shaped, giant leaves up to two meters in diameter with a baking sheet-like curved edge. The large leaf surface is reinforced on the underside with a plastic, air-filled skeleton for stability.
The Giant Amazon Water Lily (Victoria cruziana) is native to the Paraná River basin and Paraguay. It was discovered in 1801 by German botanist Thaddaeus Haenke in the lagoons of an Amazon tributary. The plant first germinated in the London Kew Garden in 1846, and the first flower of the Giant Water Lily opened on European soil in November 1849.
The botanical garden's Victoria Water Lily will be blooming for two nights, with flowers changing color from white on the first night to pink on the second. The flowers emit a sweet, fruity, pineapple-like fragrance to attract large beetle pollinators and produce heat in the floral chamber to encourage beetle activity, which aids pollination. After pollination, the flower stem contracts, pulling the flower underwater for seed development.
The flowers open on July and August evenings, closing the next morning. The large leaves continue growing with new giant pads appearing through this period. Young leaves have a blue blush, and the flowers have fine, peony-like stamens. The flowers heat their floral chamber to about 10°C above ambient temperature during the first evening of blooming to encourage beetle pollinator activity.
Members of the Friends of the Braunschweig Botanical Garden e.V. will ensure the physical well-being of the garden visitors on August 12th and 13th, the days when the Giant Amazon Water Lily is set to bloom. The botanical garden will remain open until 10 PM on these days, offering visitors a unique opportunity to witness this fascinating plant in full bloom.
The seed pods of the Victoria Water Lily resemble dark brown beans and are collected by the indigenous population in their native habitat to make flour. The Giant Amazon Water Lily is capable of supporting a child weighing up to 35 kilograms on a single leaf, showcasing its incredible strength and adaptability.
Visitors to the TU Braunschweig Botanical Garden this summer will be treated to a truly remarkable spectacle as the Giant Amazon Water Lily blooms in all its glory. Don't miss this chance to witness this "botanical mythical creature" in person!
[1] Kew Gardens, "Victoria amazonica", https://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/victoria-amazonica-giant-water-lily [2] Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, "Victoria cruziana", https://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/victoria-cruziana-giant-water-lily [3] University of Michigan Herbarium, "Victoria cruziana", https://michiganflora.net/species-accounts/s-1080-victoria-cruziana [4] Missouri Botanical Garden, "Victoria cruziana", https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=v001 [5] Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, "Victoria cruziana", https://www.stri.si.edu/science/plants/victoria-cruziana
- The Giant Amazon Water Lily, on display at the Botanical Garden of TU Braunschweig, provides a unique opportunity for visitors to explore the extraordinary aspects of both home-and-garden and gardening, as this giant plant thrives in the tropical aquatic plant house, showcasing its strength and adaptability.
- As the Giant Amazon Water Lily blooms this summer at the Botanical Garden of TU Braunschweig, it truly represents a mix of lifestyles, transforming the Botanical Garden into a venue for both education and enjoyment, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in the beauty and mystery of this "botanical mythical creature".
