New giant waterlily species identified after social media post

• A new giant waterlily species measuring up to two metres across, named Victoria colombiana, has been formally identified in Colombia.
• Botanical expert Carlos Magdalena from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, first spotted the plant on Instagram before using satellite imagery to track it down.
• During a midnight boat expedition guided by local indigenous community members, researchers found flowering specimens needed to describe the plant in the journal Phytotaxa.
• Conservationists have warned that the species is already critically endangered, with an estimated 30 to 50 individual plants remaining in the wild.
• Conservation plans include seed collection for cultivation in Bogota and Kew Gardens, alongside establishing naturalised populations within indigenous territories.

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