Victoria amazonica is a visual high point of the Amazon River. This is the world’s largest water lily. The huge circular leaves can span ten feet. Below the waterline is a submerged stalk reaching 23 to 26 feet long. The blooming of the lily is a fleeting, 48 hour event. On the first day, the flower is white and female. Their scent attracts beetles for pollination. After closing for the evening, it reopens the next morning as a pink bloom that is male. When the fertilization is done during the day, the flower closes, wilts and sinks below the water.
