Flora of the Amazon: The Giant Water Lily

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This flower doesn't just have the looks, it also has several clever adaptations to help it survive in the Amazon

The Giant Water Lily : Victoria amazonica

Characteristics: The largest water lily species is also known as Victoria Amazonica. Its circular green leaves/pads have a diameter around 4-6 ft and can reach up to 10 ft. This species' beautiful white flowers only appear at night; 24 hours after blooming, the flowers turn pink and then red-purple. They only last for about three days. 

Habitat: Native to Brazil, the Giant Water Lily grows all year long only in shallow, undisturbed waters of the Amazon Basin as well as other Brazilian lakes. 

Diet: Photosynthesis; a plant that absorbs sunlight with its giant leaves which optimizes photosynthesis

Conservation: Not listed as threatened, but an increase in demand for this flower for domestic purposes threatens both this species and its ecosystem.


The Amazon's crowning glory of flora: Victoria amazonica. I bet you weren't expecting a post about a plant, but this blog highlights all kinds of important species, and the Giant Water Lily is one of them. 


I love flowers. Ever since I was little, I've had a fascination with all the unique colors and shapes that flowers come in. I've grown up with the perspective that the natural world comes in hues of brown, green, and blue and textures of hard rocks and rough bark. The fact that these delicate life forms come in every color of the rainbow demonstrates one beautiful aspect of nature to me. 


Victoria amazonica is just one of those beautiful and delicate flowers (I mean, the name itself sounds beautiful and regal; fast fact: the name was a tribute to Queen Victoria) This flower is so delicate, in fact, that it decays after two to three days. As stated above, the Giant Water Lily's pure white petals unfurl at night and last for one day; the flower then becomes pink-colored for the next day before turning red-purple. 


This unique color-changing process doesn't just simply happen. When bloomed, the Giant Water Lily releases sweet-smelling glands that attract beetles to the flower. These beetles and the Giant Water Lily have a positive symbiotic relationship, or mutualism. The beetles pollinate the flower, benefiting both parties. Once this happens, the flower actually changes gender from female to male. And this is also how this water lily gains its blush color. All of this is due to pollination! 


But pollination actually has a dual purpose. By releasing all of its pollen onto the beetles at one time, the Giant Water Lily increases the amount of pollen that other Giant Water Lilies get when they get pollinated by the beetles. The Giant Water Lily's three-day blooming period is an ingenious adaptation. A short cycle forces a one-time pollination by beetles which maximize the pollen that gets transferred. 


The Giant Water Lily has other clever adaptations to survive in the Amazon Rainforest as well. After all, this delicate flower lives in a habitat populated by millions of organisms all completely capable of tearing a plant apart.


You may have noticed in the introductory picture that the Giant Water Lily's round leaves are lipped. The rim that surrounds the leaves prevents birds and bugs from eating their leaves. The roundness and flatness of the leaves themselves keep the flower afloat. And as an extra measure, the bottom of the pads has thorns that discourage fish below from getting too close. 


As you now know, the Giant Water Lily's leaves have several positive uses for the well-being of the entire plant. But wait...there's more! There always is, isn't there? 


Due to the incredibly large size of their leaves, Giant Water Lilys often take up enormous amounts of a river's surface area. This means optimal sunlight exposure for the plant, but for other water-dwelling species, this means little-to-no sunlight. By occupying the majority of the natural resources available, other species can suffer. This may sound bad, but there's no shortage of invasive species to the Amazon, and oftentimes, the Giant Water Lily prevents those species from spreading further into its ecosystem. 


Of course, there are native species that can be negatively affected. However, the Giant Water Lily has a short lifespan; negative long-term consequences are often avoided because of this. 


Every organism creates both positive and negative impacts on this world, including us. Some species, like the Giant Water Lily, can't choose what effects they have on an ecosystem. But we can. We can help make the earth a little more beautiful every day without sacrificing our survival and comfort. All it takes is some effort and compassion and a bit of thoughtfulness and introspection. 












https://medium.com/@walterlmstover/physical-adaptations-of-giant-water-lilies-and-humanity-d7f6be6c9512

https://wegeographers.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/picture-of-the-day-giant-water-lily/#:~:text=1%20Specific%20Adaptations%20to%20the%20Environment.%20The%20Giant,Endangerment%20of%20the%20Species.%20...%205%20Taxonomy.%20

https://www.reference.com/science/adaptations-water-lily-3d64ce19b17599c7




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