Amazon Water lily
Victoria amazonica
Also known as
Giant Water Lily, Queen Victoria Water Lily, Royal Lily, Royal Water Lily, Water Maize, Water Platter, Royal water lily, Water lily, Giant water lily
Victoria amazonica Blijdorp by Steven Lek (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Partial Shade
Advanced care
Frequent watering
Tender
H1a
RHS hardiness
15°C
Minimum temperature
Expected size
Height | Spread | |
---|---|---|
60cm | Max | 6m |
10cm | Min | 1m |
Flowering
-
spring
-
summer
-
autumn
-
winter
More images of Amazon Water lily
Amazon Water lily Overview
Victoria amazonica is also known as the Amazon Waterlily, it produces showy circular foliage, the leaves are termed lily pads and these lie flat on the water surface. It is an aquatic perennial in its natural habit of the Amazon but often grown as an annual under glass in the UK. The specimens found in botanic gardens are typically grown from seed each spring, meaning all the huge floating foliage is produced in a matter of months! The flowers are white upon opening, they are pollinated by dynastid beetles in the wild, which are attracted to the scent and heat generated by the flower. A beetle enters the flower to feed, where it is promptly trapped by the flower, which closes and sinks below the water again. The flower then developed from white to a pink colouration, rises and opens again the following evening to release the beetle, which is now coated in pollen. It is highly prized as an ornamental, but is quite difficult to grow, needing very particular requirements for successful cultivation.
How to propagate Amazon Water lily
Seed
Special features of Amazon Water lily
Attractive flowers
Attractive leaves
Other uses of Amazon Water lily
Fragrance, aquatic, foliage, ornamental