Victoria (waterlily)

Taxobox
name = Victoria Waterlily


image_width = 240px
image_caption = A flowering Victoria in the Amsterdam Hortus Botanicus
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Nymphaeales
familia = Nymphaeaceae
genus = "Victoria"
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = "Victoria amazonica" (Poepp.) Sowerby "Victoria cruziana" A. D. Orb "Victoria mattogrossensis"

"Victoria" is the genus of giant water lilies in the plant family Nymphaeaceae. The species of this classification have very large leaves that float on the water's surface, the most well known and largest, "Victoria amazonica", has a leaf that is up to 3 m in diameter on a stalk 7–8 m in length. "Victoria" is named after Queen Victoria. "Victoria amazonica" was once called "Victoria regia", but the species name was superseded - although in Brazil it is still referred to by that name.

Thaddäus Haenke was among the first to describe them, but as he stayed in South America until his death in 1816, later British explorers named the plant after their Queen.

"Victoria amazonica" is native to the shallow waters of the Amazon River basin, such as oxbow lakes and bayous. It is depicted in the Guyanese s.

Another species, "Victoria cruziana", in the Parana-Paraguay basin which is only slightly smaller, with the underside of the leaves purple rather than the red of "V. amazonica", and covered with a peachlike fuzz lacking in "V. amazonica". "V. cruziana" opens its flowers at dusk.

A third type, "Victoria mattogrossensis" or "V. cruziana" var. "mattogrossensis", found in the pantanal region, resembles "V. cruziana" except in having huge seeds.

External links

* [http://www.victoria-adventure.org/victoria/victoria_index.html "Victoria Adventure" - A website dedicated to this lily]
* [http://www.victoria-adventure.org/victoria/mike/gardeners_chronicle_pm.html An Article from the Gardener's Chronicle]

References