Scientific Name
Victoria amazonica (Poepp.) J. C. Sowerby
Common Name(s)
Santa Cruz Water Lily, Water Platter
Synonym(s)
Victoria argentina, Victoria regia var. cruziana
Scientific Classification
Family: Nymphaeaceae
Genus: Victoria
Origin
Victoria cruziana is native to South America, primarily Argentina and Paraguay.
Flower
Color: White and pink
Bloom Time: Summer
Description
Victoria cruziana is a giant water lily with large floating mid-green lily pads that can reach up to 8 feet (2.4 m) in diameter and support a small adult's weight. Its leaves are reddish-purple and softly hairy on the underside. The ephemeral pineapple-scented blooms appear in summer, lasting only two nights.
The flowers are up to 16 inches (40 cm) in diameter, white on the first night and turning pink on the second night.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zone 10a to 11b: from 30 °F (−1.1 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
The giant waterlily is a short-lived perennial in the wild, but at Kew, Royal Botanic Gardens, it is raised as an annual from seeds planted each January.
In summer, the flowers are hand-pollinated and then placed in a bag. This enables easy collection of the resulting seed in the fall. The seeds must be kept moist, preferably in water, all the time. To prevent premature germination or death, they are kept at a constant temperature of 15 °C. To begin germination, it is sometimes necessary to nick the seed with a scalpel, after which germination occurs in ten days. In January, the newly germinated seed is pricked out into a tiny pot kept in water. As the plant grows, potting on into larger pots is carried out until the plant occupies a one-ton pot. Loam is used as a substrate. The key factors for this choice are that it does not float, is rich in nutrients, and can enclose the fertilizer contained in the 'feed bombs' given to the plant.
See more at Giant Water Lily: The Queen of the Water Lilies.
Links
- Back to genus Victoria
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin
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