From: The Living Rain Forest
"The Giant Amazon Water Lily was discovered growing in the River Amazon in 1801, and first grown in Europe in the mid 19th Century. Known as the “Giant
Water-Platter,” the structure of its exceptionally strong leaves inspired Sir Joseph Paxton to construct an immense conservatory at Chatsworth House, in which the lily flowered for the first time in Britain. The leaves of the Brazilian species, Victoria amazonica, reach six feet across and can
support the weight of a well-balanced adult.".....
Wow! That's amazing! I knew of these giant lilies, but I never know you could actually sit on one! I would love to grow these someday, but I don't think my whole pond will be much bigger than one leaf of these giants! Not for a few years, at least. The flowers are one foot across!
Here's another article click here where the story of the giant lily gets even more interesting. Check this out:
"Travelers to the Amazon observed that each huge flower opens for only two nights and that large brown beetles are often inside. In the 1970's, a team of scientists from Brazil and The New York Botanical Garden were the first to unravel the complex relationship
between the beetles and the flowers. .......On the first night, the flower unfurls and scarab beetles are drawn to its butterscotch-and-pineapple scent and pure white color. They are also drawn to its warmth. The researchers found that the flower actually heats up. If the air temperature is 80° F then the inside of the flower can be a cozy 98° F. The beetles crawl inside to stay warm and eat special supplies of sugar and starch. Later that night, the flower cools, closes, and the beetles are trapped inside. As it closes, the flower changes color from white, to pink, to purple. All the next day the beetles stay inside, munching their special food.".....
