Victoria boliviana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Victoria boliviana | |
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| Victoria boliviana flower | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Order: | Nymphaeales |
| Family: | Nymphaeaceae |
| Genus: | Victoria |
| Species: | V. boliviana |
| Binomial name | |
| Victoria boliviana Magdalena & L.T.Sm. | |
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| Victoria boliviana is endemic to Bolivia[1] | |
Victoria boliviana, or the Bolivian waterlily[2] is a species of aquatic plant within the genus Victoria in the family Nymphaeaceae.[1] It is the newest described species of the genus and its largest member in size and was officially identified in 2022.[3] In January 2023, the species was awarded three Guinness World Record titles for world's largest waterlily species, world's largest waterlily leaf and world's largest undivided leaf, with the latter two specifically recognising a specimen grown in 2012 at La Rinconada Gardens in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.[4]
Vegetative characteristics
It is a large,[5][4] rhizomatous, aquatic plant[1] with large,[4] petiolate, orbicular,[5] up to 3.2 m wide[3][6] floating leaves.[2] The 7 cm tall rim of the lamina[2] has sharp prickles.[7] The upper leaf surface is green and the lower surface is green, blue, or maroon.[6] The petiole is prickly.[5][8]
Generative characteristics
The nocturnal,[2] solitary,[4] protogynous,[9][10] white to pink,[3][2] prickly,[4][3] up to 36 cm wide flowers[4] float on the water surface.[8][10] The four 10–15 cm long, and 8–10 cm wide sepals[6] bear prickles.[6][4] The gynoecium consists of 25–36 radially arranged carpels[6] with carpellary appendages.[9] The fruit bears 300 black to brown, arillate, globose, 12–13 mm long, and 16–17 mm wide seeds[6] with a distinctive, prominent raphe (i.e., a ridge at the top of the seed).[9][6][10]
Cytology
The chromosome count is 2n = 2x = 24.[6]
Taxonomy
It was published by Carlos Magdalena and Lucy T. Smith in 2022.[6][1] The type specimen was collected by S. G. Beck in a lagoon by the Yacuma River, Ballivían Province, Bolivia on the 29th of March 1988.[11][6]
Delimitation from Victoria cruziana and Victoria amazonica
Victoria boliviana differs in many different features from the remaining two species of the genus. This includes its larger seed and ovule size (each seed being about 70% longer and wider, and over four times as voluminous as those of V. amazonica and V. cruziana),[6] as well as its moderate or intermediate rim height of the leaf lamina. Also, unlike V. amazonica and V. cruziana, it lacks trichomes (plant hairs) on its outer tepals and on the ovary.[6] The chromosome count is shared with Victoria cruziana, but differs from Victoria amazonica. It is also most similar to Victoria cruziana. Some features have an overlapping range, however in combination many differences can be observed.[6]
Position within the genus Victoria
This species is the sister group to Victoria cruziana. This leads to the following relationships:[6]
| Victoria |
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Etymology
The specific epithet boliviana references its origin in Bolivia.[3][5]