Social-media photo sparks discovery of giant Colombian waterlily, a new endangered species
A selfie posted on Instagram led botanists to identify Victoria colombiana, a newly described giant waterlily in Colombia’s rainforest that is already critically endangered.
An Instagram image of people swimming among huge floating leaves caught the eye of Carlos Magdalena, a leading waterlily authority at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The photo, taken by U.S. carnivorous-plant grower Jeremiah Harris, showed a lily that did not match the known distribution of Victoria amazonica. Magdalena coordinated satellite analysis, funding, and permits, then joined a five-day expedition with the Jardín Botánico in Bogotá and members of nearby indigenous reserves.
Guided by a local driver, the team reached a remote flooded lake just before their flight home and documented a population of the plants. Samples were sent to taxonomist Maarten Christenhusz, and a paper in Phytotaxa formally described the new species as Victoria colombiana. Researchers estimate only 30-50 individuals exist in the wild and are pursuing IUCN Red List assessment and conservation measures, including seed collection and possible cultivation at Kew Gardens.
Why it matters
The find highlights how social media can aid biodiversity discovery and underscores the urgent need to protect a newly identified, critically endangered plant.
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