Gigantic Water Lilies

Found at Hughes Water Gardens in Tualatin, Oregon
You can see an amazing time-lapse video here of its growth and blossoming!

Victoria is a genus of water-lilies with very large green leaves that lie flat on the water's surface. The leaf is up to 3 m in diameter, on a stalk 7–8 m in length. Victoria amazonica is native to the shallow waters of the Amazon River basin, such as oxbow lakes and bayous. The flowers are white the first night they are open and become pink the second night. The leaf of Victoria is able to support 70 pounds of weight when spread across its structure.

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