Edward Marchesi In 2021, a simple selfie posted on Instagram sparked one of the most fascinating botanical discoveries in recent years. The images, taken by Jeremiah Harris while diving in a pond in the Inírida region of Colombia, show a plant of extraordinary size, well outside the range traditionally inhabited by the better-known Victoria amazonica.
The observation immediately caught the attention of Carlos Magdalena, a researcher at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, who noticed something anomalous.
Magdalena, a world expert on water lilies, compared the area from which the photos came with known distribution maps and, noting that the Inírida River was not within the habitat of the most common species, hypothesized the existence of a taxon that had not yet been described.
Using satellite imagery, he spotted a green patch that matched the exact spot shown in the posts, confirming the presence of a large plant in that remote area of the rainforest.
The mysterious selfie that revealed a new species
Harris's selfie , posted on Instagram, showed a mass of rounded leaves that stretched nearly two meters in diameter.
For botanists, such a size was unprecedented: a leaf of that size was visible even in satellite photographs, becoming a distinctive marker on the digital globe. Magdalena immediately contacted local experts, initiating a collaboration with the José Celestino Mutis Botanical Garden of Bogotá and other Colombian researchers. After nearly two years of logistical preparations, the decision to embark on a field expedition was made.
Image analysis and Magdalena's hypotheses
Harris's photos were analyzed frame by frame, revealing the characteristic fan-like structure of the leaves, typical of the Victoria genus . The use of geolocation software allowed them to triangulate the exact position, while preliminary measurements indicated a diameter of approximately two meters . These data led the team to believe they were dealing with a new species that had never been documented or preserved in any herbarium, not even among the 6,4 million specimens held at Kew.
The essential expedition to the Inírida rainforest
Deep in the rainforest, fresh from a particularly intense rainy season, Magdalena's team ventured for five days. The first three days yielded only two non-flowering specimens, making taxonomic identification difficult, as a fertile herbarium specimen —i.e., with flowers—is essential for distinguishing a new species from those already known. The humid climate and high water levels made access even more difficult.
Night at one o'clock and the discovery of the five specimens in bloom
The turning point came on the night of the last day of the field trip. Local boatman Gustavo Melo , a member of the Tucano indigenous community, offered the team his navigational skills and pointed out the location of a small, hidden lake. At 1:00 a.m., in total darkness, the researchers followed his instincts, rowing against the current. Shortly before dawn, they discovered a cluster of five water lilies, one of which was in full bloom, providing the precious material needed for the scientific description.
Scientific relevance and conservation prospects
The discovery was described in the journal Phytotaxa under the name Victoria colombiana . Carlos Magdalena called the event "confirmation that nature continues to surprise us," emphasizing how the integration of indigenous knowledge, horticultural expertise, and social technology made the entire adventure possible. Taxonomist Maarten Christenhusz added that this water lily is "visible from space," a reminder of the enormous amount of life still unknown on the planet.
The next step, according to Magdalena, is to protect the new species. With rainforests threatened by deforestation and climate change, the presence of such a massive plant requires immediate protection measures. The discovery also demonstrates the importance of monitoring social media content: a simple selfie, combined with satellite analysis and the collaboration of local communities, can open the door to new frontiers in botany.