Water Lily, Lotus, Victoria Cruziana

Victorias
Photo by Mark McGuiness Victoria-Adventure Home



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Water lillies are great in any  pond.  Their leaves are refreshing to the eyes as their blooms are vibrant and incredibly fragrant.  The lillies also provide for the pond that they grow in. They keep the algae from invading the pond and provide shade and respite to little creatures like fish and frogs that  may live in  the pond.
Water lillies also provide for us, many people eat the young leaves and buds and the roots. Lotus roots  are available in most Chinese markets in North America . Fried Lotus roots is  delicious.
In some cases water lillies are seen as weeds as they displace the local species of plants that would've thrived in their absence. In the Philippines water lillies were blamed for the flooding- they apparently clogged the  country's second longest river;( In June 2011).
Did you know that the Water lillies  have their roots fixed in the soil and only the leaves and  the blooms float?
While there are many varieties of water lillies, and  they  have white, pink, yellow and even blue flowers, all water lillies are not created equal.  While the leaves of  most water lillies  are waxy and flat,  the diameter of the leaves of Victoria Cruziana is 6ft to 8ft wide.
  I am in awe of this very fragile leaf that can support a weight of 70 pounds ( 31.81 kilograms).