Victoria

Queen of the water lilies

In the Tropical Wetlands greenhouse, the giant water lilies on the pond immediately grab your attention. Victoria cruziana has large floating leaves with raised edges. The air in and between the ribs at the bottom of the leaf provides enormous buoyancy. The leaf can support up to 40 kg. 

A plant produces about 40 to 50 leaves during the growing season (here between February and September), which is very fast. During summer, the leaves are usually between one and two metres in diameter. The leaves cover the entire water surface and shroud the bottom. Thus, they impede the growth of competing plants. From the end of September, the leaves die.

During summer, you can also admire the flowers. The flower opens at night and blooms for two nights: white the first night, pink the second. Then it disappears below the surface.

This giant is perennial in its natural habitat, but here in the greenhouse it is reseeded every year. Only a limited number of botanical gardens have the necessary expertise to successfully complete this process. The giant water lily has been cultivated at the Botanic Garden for over a hundred years, it is part of our heritage.