World’s Biggest Water Lily is a Species of its Own
Horticulturalist Carlos Magdalena in Bolivia viewing the largest known giant water lily species (Victoria boliviana). Credit: Cesar David Salazar An artist's observations, two botanists' suspicions, and DNA tests reveal a case of mistaken identity among giant water plants. When 19th-century European botanists encountered impressive water lilies with leaves more extensive than a pingpong table, they initially...