In 2022, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew announced to the world, the discovery of the giant waterlily species, Victoria boliviana, which was named the largest waterlily in the world. Since then, Kew’s hard-working horticulturists have created a hybrid by crossing it to produce: Victoria cruziana × boliviana.

This new hybrid species was put on public display for the first time, in the Princess of Wales Conservatory in 2023. The ‘ordinary’ lily pads in the top left give a sense of just how large the giant lily pads are, (the underside is displayed in the foreground).

Finalist - Captured at Kew