A Lily Pad you can Sit On | Victoria Lily

Hailing from the amazon rainforest is a lily pad so big a human can sit on it. On this episode we take a look at the Victoria Lily.

Discovered in 1801 this lily was first called Eurgale Amazonica. In 1837 john Lindley published the first description of the Victoria lily, changing the name to honor Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Being an uncooperative plant among others in nature, usually lilies will filter light from the surface which allows algae to grow. The Victoria lily is so dense that no light penetrates through their skin making life dark and unlivable for many species of plants and animals that inhabit the same waters as this plant. To top it off, the underside of these massive lilies are covered in sharp spikes that keep herbivorous fish from eating them.

Measuring 10 feet or 3 meters in diameter this lily not only has huge leaves but a massive stalk under the water. The stalk reaches 26 feet or 8 meters tall that attaches to the soil at the bottom of the pond.

This plant has a unique pollination process, a flower on the surface of the water will bloom for just 48 hours. It’ll open up to attract a beetle, once a beetle is within the petals of the flower it’ll snap shut holding the beetle hostage for 24 hours. The next day the beetle will be released to go pollinate a different flower. After the mission is complete the flower closes and retracts back under the water.

Found in the Amazon rainforest in the wild they can also be found on limited display at Shuangxi Park in Taipei Taiwan where visitors can sit on one for a quick selfie. 2 Groups of 60 people per day are allowed to sit on the lillies. This is made possible by the hard work of staff of the park. They have to fight off the cutworms from eating the lilies while they are small. Tiny bites in the young leaves will make them unable to develop and grow to full size.

A maximum of 140 lbs or 63 kgs is all these lilies can take up to 60 seconds at a time, better snap your picture quick.

Footage:
Bollywood Star
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Boe
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Music: Blue Wednesday
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Intro music thanks to Machinmasound:
Rallying the Defense:
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#lily #victorialily #lilies