Chance Instagram sighting leads to discovery of rare giant water lily in Colombia — Live Feedhttps://www.live-feeds.com/feed/chance-instagram-sighting-leads-to-discovery-of-rare-giant-water-lily-in-colombiaContinuously updated, source-cited coverage. Instagram Selfie Leads to Discovery of Rare Giant Water Lily in Colombiahttps://www.live-feeds.com/feed/chance-instagram-sighting-leads-to-discovery-of-rare-giant-water-lily-in-colombiahttps://www.live-feeds.com/feed/chance-instagram-sighting-leads-to-discovery-of-rare-giant-water-lily-in-colombia#u121744Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:05:08 +0000An international team of researchers confirmed a new species of giant water lily in Colombia named Victoria colombiana, following a chance sighting of an American tourist's Instagram selfie and social media photos. The discovery paper, published in the journal Phytotaxa, details a plant within the genus Victoria featuring leaf pads measuring up to 2 meters, or 6.6 feet, across. The process required a five-day expedition featuring a late-night detour in a Colombian rainforest to verify the find.Why it mattersGiant water lilies are among nature's largest aquatic plants, and this additi