Victoria amazonica
by Mike McLaughlin, Former Rainforest Manager
Drawing by Elizabeth Smith
We've all seen old photos of people floating on freakishly large water lily leaves and wondered if they had employed some sort of trick to accomplish the feat. The answer is yes, but I'll get to that later. The real question is, "What is this floating behemoth?"
The genus Victoria was discovered in 1801. It caused quite a stir when it was introduced to Europe in the mid 1800s as the ‘Giant Water-Platter.’ Initially named Victoria regia in honor of the Queen of England, its name was later changed to V. amazonica. It is native to equatorial Brazil where it grows in calm waters along the mighty Amazon River, in ox-bow lakes (former river channels), and in flooded grasslands. Its gargantuan glossy green leaves grow to seven feet in diameter, with a pronounced maroon lip around the circumference. The lip is notched in two places to drain rainwater. As if prepared for the fight of its life, much of the Victoria is covered with flesh-piercing spines. Only the roots, flowers and the upper sides of the leaves are spine-free. The lush, 12-inch flowers open at night, heralded by a fruity fragrance described as reminiscent of pineapple. It smells more like a sweet cider apple to me. A second recognized species, Victoria cruziana, (sometimes mistakenly called V. trickerii), is found in the cooler waterways of Argentina and Paraguay. V. cruziana has smaller leaves (only four to six feet!), a higher lip that is generally green, and is obviously more cold tolerant, making it popular for culture in the U.S.
And then there are the hybrids. One is an artificial hybrid between the two known species was created in 1960 at Longwood Garden. Called Victoria ‘Longwood', the cross is larger and more red than V. amazonica, and even more cold hardy than V. cruziana.
I've always been fascinated by these aquatic monsters, but I really began to appreciate Victorias when I started to grow them in Fairchild. In the summer of 1997, I bought a V. cruziana from a mail order catalog for $55. I eagerly opened the box to release this giant, only to find a puny runt with two six inch diameter leaves. Deflated, I potted it up as I would any other water lily, but within months was forced to repot and stand back as advancing leaves unfurled.
In fact, Victoria culture is quite easy. You need a big, fairly deep pond, a huge pot, and lots of fertilizer. A suit of armor is also a plus! I now grow a single Victoria in a 200 gallon pot (about five feet across) in a mixture of silica sand, black soil, and dehydrated cow manure. Every week we fertilize with 1.5 pounds of 20-20-20 (a "hot" water soluble fertilizer) wrapped in four newspaper packets tucked deep into the soil. Victoria is a unabashed glutton when it comes to nutrients! So far, I haven't been able to keep a Victoria alive for more than a year, and wonder if the plant should really be considered an annual.
Although the plant is mostly grown for its massive leaves, the robust flowers are intriguing. Similar in structure to other water lilies in the Nymphaeaceae family, Victoria flowers undergo an interesting "sex reassignment." The first evening, a blossom opens which is a pure white, and through a thermochemical reaction actually heats up as much as 20°F! This assists the release of the flower's sweet aroma and attracts a scarab beetle pollinator to stay for the night. The first night the flower is effectively female, receptive to pollen brought in by the beetle, but not yet releasing its own pollen. As the flower closes at daybreak, the beetle is trapped inside. Sometime the next day the anthers mature and a sex change occurs. As the confined beetle grazes it becomes covered in fresh pollen. The flower is no longer receptive, limiting the possibility of self-fertilization. The second evening the flower opens at dusk, releasing the powdered beetle to seek out a new receptive flower. A pleasing surprise is still in store for us. The male flower magically turns a stunning shade of pink, almost magenta!
The enormous leaves are, of course, what makes a display of Victoria so arresting. Sadly, the viewing public misses out on some of the details. If you can get past the bloodthirsty spines, you will find the surface of the leaf has a quilted texture that is quite rubbery to the touch and squeaks like a wet balloon. Gingerly turning over the leaf, one reveals the engineering behind these floating marvels. The bottom, purple and covered with a spider-web of spongy supporting ribs, is all covered in spines. Pockets created by the tall ribs trap air, and gives the leaves tremendous buoyancy. However, the leaves are quite fragile, and could be punctured easily by a hand or foot. So how do people float on them? Look carefully at those photos: you will see that the subject is standing on a sheet of metal or wood that distributes their weight over the entire surface of the leaf. Colossal, weightless, tranquil and awe-inspiring: to me the Victoria waterlily is the hot air balloon of the plant world.
Garden News, November 1999
Victoria: The Reigning Queen of Waterlilies
by Jennifer Davit
Photos by Claudia Cebrian
Fairchild is now displaying the Amazon waterlily, Victoria amazonica in a new pool that provides the ideal environment for the growth of the queen of waterlilies.
Benjamin Rush Sibley Remembered
The Benjamin Rush Sibley Victoria amazonica Pool, located near the vine pergola, was a gift to the garden from the Sibley family in memory of their son Benjamin. Fairchild extends its sincerest gratitude to the family for this evergreen gift.
A single Victoria pad can grow to over seven feet in diameter and hold up to 300 pounds. Paxton's daughter is shown here standing on top of a mature leaf. Legend has it, however, that he cleverly propped a stool underneath the leaf.
Illustration of Victoria flower from "Flore des Serres et des Jardins" (1849)
Sibley Victoria amazonica Pool
Clearly, the unique botanical characteristics, life cycle, cultivation history, and tropical origins make Victoria an ideal specimen for display at Fairchild. Cultivation at Fairchild does not require a glasshouse due to South Florida's mild climate. FTBG staff has grown Victoria in the past, but the new Sibley Victoria amazonica Pool provides an ideal growing environment that was previously lacking. The Sibley Pool was designed and constructed by local landscape designer Bernie Ortega. Groundbreaking began in early 2004 and the plants were installed in late March. Fairchild received plants from Kit and Ben Knotts, who reside in Cocoa Beach, Florida, and share a passion for Victoria. The Knotts grow plants from seed for display in their ponds and for distribution to botanical institutions. They provided Fairchild with a Victoria amazonica, V. cruziana, V. 'Longwood Hybrid', and V. 'Adventure'. V. amazonica is native to Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Venezuela and Peru, while V. cruziana is native to Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Patrick Nutt of Longwood Gardens made the first successful cross of these species in 1960, appropriately naming it V. 'Longwood Hybrid'. Each of the species and hybrids varies in pad color, pad size, pad rim color, and height of the upturned rim of each pad. These hybrids are grown at Fairchild because they can tolerate cooler temperatures, extending the growing season for these plants which Fairchild will grow as annuals.
Fairchild's Conservatory Manager, Jennifer Davit measures overall plant surface area and notes the largest growth increase in the V. 'Longwood hybrid' from 5.9 square feet to 35 square feet over a two week period.
The giant water lily, Victoria, is amongst the most spectacular of tropical plants. Tadeas Haenke f1~st discovered Victoria in 1801 in Bolivia, but before he could report on his finding, Sir Richard Schomburgk found Victoria in 1837 in British Guiana. He presented his findings to the London Botanical Society, generating both wonder and excitement. So much so that the plant was named Victoria in honor of the British Queen. In 1849, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew received viable seeds from South America. Joseph Paxton, head of the Duke of Devonshire's gardens at Chatsworth, received a seedling from Kew and was the first horticulturist to bloom Victoria amazonica in cultivation. Paxton, inspired by the extraordinary leaf structure of the waterlily, designed the structure of the Crystal Palace in London. The design of these structures has influenced subsequent greenhouse and conservatory constructions.
Pink and white
The Victoria's nocturnal flowers are impressive, as is their bizarre pollination biology. The flowers open a pure white on their first night and emit a strong pineapple-like scent. This attracts the scarab beetle pollinator (Cylocephata castaneal) to the flower, which is functionally female that evening and receptive to pollen brought by the beetle. As daybreak approaches, the flower begins to close, trapping the beetle inside. During the day the flower becomes functionally male, indicated by the maturation of the anthers and the release of pollen. The beetle becomes coated with the pollen, but cannot fertilize the flower because it is now functionally male. The flower opens the second evening, having changed color from white to pink. The beetle is released and seeks out another white, fragrant, receptive flower, where it will deposit pollen to allow seed set.
A notch above the rest
Victoria exhibits some extraordinary structural characteristics. A notch in the middle of the leaf rim allows rainwater to drain from the surface of each pad. Spectacular sharp spines cover the underside of the leaves, the stems, and the flower buds, protecting the leaves from animals and fish. A web-like structure of hollow ribs supports the underside of the leaves; these ribs are filled with air and provide for exceptional buoyancy. In an experiment using sandbags, Victoria were found to support up to 300 pounds on a single pad. Young plants can grow at an amazing rate, exhibiting increases in individual pad diameter of over eight inches in one day.
Emerging Victoria amazonica leaf with visible spines and new flower bud below.
Year Two - 2006
The Giant Amazon Waterlilies are flourishing at Fairchild. Historically, Victoria amazonica — found growing in pools off the Amazon River in hot, humid conditions — have fallen prey to Miami's winters. This is the first time these aquatic plants have lived to see a second year at Fairchild.
V. amazonica pads span up to three feet.
People love Victoria for their huge leaves. At the Benjamin Rush Sibley Victoria Pool, the pads now span three feet in diameter and are continuing to grow. Horticulturists tracking the amazing growth rate of the Victoria have measured a daily increase in diameter of up to eight inches. These Amazon lilies are also famous for the dangerous spines that cover the stems and underside of each leaf, protecting the plants from predators.
Currently the Victoria 'Adventure' pads cover 40 square feet of the pool. In addition to breathtaking leaves, this plant also produces stunning flowers with an intoxicating scent. The Victoria 'Longwood Hybrid' produced its first flower of the season on the evening of May 31 and now flower weekly. To spot these flowers, come early — they close around 10am.
Nijima Floats, Dale Chihuly
Chihuly at Fairchild, 2005