Lily Boat

Photo by David Stanley

Giant Water Lilies

• these lily pads can grow to be up to 3 meters in diameter
• so big that small animals can walk across them
• the stalk that keeps them rooted to the soil can be up to 8 meters long
• their scientific name is Victoria amazonica
• because
• for one, they are native to the shallow regions of the Amazon River
• and they were named after Queen Victoria of the UK

Photo by Vinko Sunde

• the flowers of these plants are white the first night they open
• and then pink the second
• and can grow to be up to 40 centimeters in diameter
• this lily and it’s impressive size captured the attention of the United Kingdom’s public in the mid 1800s
• the Duke of Devonshire and the Duke of Northumberland were so enamored that they devised a competition
• who ever could cultivate a giant water lily and get it to flower first won
• even with England’s not so amazonian winter temperatures, they somehow managed to achieve this feat
• coal-fired boilers were industriously employed to keep the water at a suitable temperature for the plant’s growth
• the Duke of Devonshire eventually won and presented his floral masterpiece to Queen Victoria
• and
• to gain some extra points
• he named the flower in her honor

Impressive feats of the natural world can also be used as a way to ingratiate oneself with royalty, it seems. Sometimes it’s the little things that get people to like you and sometimes it takes a boat sized lily pad.