Giant Water Lily

The giant water lily is a species of aquatic plant native to the slow-moving waters of the Amazon basin in South America, renowned for producing by far the largest floating leaves of any water lily, with mature pads commonly reaching two to three metres across and capable of supporting a surprising amount of weight distributed evenly over their surface, thanks to a network of stout ribs on the underside. Its enormous round leaves, with distinctive upturned rims, largely shade out competing aquatic plants beneath them, helping the giant water lily dominate the stretches of still water where it grows. The plant produces large, fragrant flowers that open white on their first night, when they trap pollinating beetles inside briefly while the flower changes to a deep pink and closes, before releasing the insects the following night to carry pollen to another flower. Long a botanical curiosity outside South America, the giant water lily's enormous leaf structure famously helped inspire the design of Joseph Paxton's Crystal Palace glasshouse in 19th-century England.