Giant water lily blooms at Hortus Botanicus

Hundreds of visitors queued outside the Hortus Botanicus on Plantage Middenlaan on Tuesday evening to watch a giant water lily bloom in the dark.

The botanical garden opened specially for the event, with queues stretching onto the nearby bridge. Staff kept the surrounding lights switched off so the South American flower could open, which took just over half an hour midway through the evening.

Pollination by hand

The plant is a Victoria Longwood Hybrid, a cross between two Amazonian species, Victoria amazonica and Victoria cruziana. Its opening white flower gives off a pineapple-like scent, which in the wild attracts a specific beetle that helps with pollination.

Without those beetles in Amsterdam, gardeners at the Hortus carry out the pollination by hand using a small brush. The pollen is collected to fertilise another flower or traded with other botanical gardens.

A late summer bloom

The flower closes during the day and turns pink on its second night before dying. The plant is flowering unusually late this year, which staff think may be linked to an exceptionally warm, sunny summer.

The garden expects further flowers from the giant water lily until mid-October. Once daylight hours become too short, the plant dies and staff begin growing a replacement.

Source: AT5