An Instafamous giant water lily is confirmed as a new species — and critically endangered

Researchers have confirmed that giant water lilies photographed in Colombia's Inírida River are a new species, Victoria colombiana, after a chance sighting of Instagram photos led botanist Carlos Magdalena to a five-day expedition into flooded rainforest.

The team, working with members of local Indigenous reserves, found flowering specimens on their final night, with leaves up to 2 meters wide visible even from satellite imagery. Researchers estimate only 30 to 50 wild plants exist, making the newly named species critically endangered from the moment it was identified.

Magdalena credited the Indigenous guides' navigation skills as essential to the find, and the team is now trying to collect seeds to propagate the plant in botanic gardens and near local communities.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.