An Instagram post was simply supposed to show off a selfie. Instead, it ended up revealing a new species. Scientists say a 2021 photo taken in Colombia’s Inirida region led them to a previously unknown giant water lily, now named Victoria colombiana and described this week in the journal Phytotaxa, per Gizmodo. Botanist Carlos Magdalena of Britain’s Royal Botanic Gardens-Kew spotted the image online and noticed the plant—which Phys.org notes comes with pads that can measure up to 6.6 feet across, and which one horticultural historian says can “be seen from space”—shouldn’t exist where it appeared.
Satellite images, coordination with Colombian researchers, and help from Indigenous community members followed, culminating in a five-day expedition that almost came up empty—until the final night, when the team finally found a flower in bloom, the proof they needed. The find expands the known species in the Victoria genus to five, though V. colombiana may already be on the brink.
Researchers estimate that only 30 to 50 plants remain in the wild and plan to seek a “critically endangered” label from the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They’re now working to establish monitored populations in local lakes and grow the plant in Colombian and UK botanical gardens—an effort that Magdalena calls a rare blend of Indigenous knowledge, horticultural expertise, and tech “in your pocket, be it Instagram or WhatsApp.”