Carlos Magdalena

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Giant waterlily species discovered after botanist spots it in an Instagram photo

Led the five-year effort to confirm the new species

A chance Instagram photo of someone swimming among giant waterlilies in a remote Colombian river has led botanists to a new species. Named Victoria colombiana, the waterlily's pads stretch up to 2 meters across, and only 30-50 individual plants are known in the wild.

Updated Oct 16