Victoria Amazonica 2014

[Gbarce]

I have always been in awe at the sight of this plant. I have grown these a couple of times before.

Really cool to be growing these again.

a couple of leaves just starting to open

this one is well on it's way

[Gbarce]

the leaves are about 3 feet across now, but still not the "mature" leaves with upturned rims.

[Gbarce]

[Pedro 65]

Gene, it would be "very cool" to be able to grow V amazonica, thanks for sharing.

Pete

[Gonzer]

Aquatics definitely have a "Wow!" factor.

[The Silent Seed]

Pedro - why don't you?

This is awesome!!! Could you give us some background? Did you start them from seed? What is the root mass like? A huge tangle of tubers as with Nelumbo, or?

I love growing Nelumbo from seed and they are super easy - I tried THESE from seed, but was unsuccessful. Any pointers?

[Pip]

Here is the one growing in Adelaide Botanic Gardens

Has to be one of the most spectacular plants

[Gbarce]

These are a bit more challenging than Nelumbo. The only option to propagate Victorias is through seeds since they don't produce offsets. They have no rhizomes and the root mass is very delicate and fibrous.

It looks like a tough plant but upon closer inspection they are actually pretty fragile-- the "substance" of the entire plant is very comparable to an Iceberg Lettuce I would say ( a Romaine Lettuce has more weight and substance).

The seeds of Victoria seem to have an inherent delaying mechanism-- some will germinate immediately but most will germinate after a year or even more. This might have been an adaption to their natural habitat which dries up periodically. I had to wait over a year before these seeds germinated.

I also don't think these plants are very long lived. The longest I kept one alive was 2.5 to 3 years. I think most hobbyists start from seeds every year -- but that might be because they don't survive winter temperatures.

[Gbarce]

I've also read that Victoria seeds must consistently be kept wet or else they lose viability.

[Really full garden]

Gene, mine seem to propagate by seed on their own. I am always finding germinated seedlings floating around the pond.

[Gbarce]

Yeah, even if you are successful only once at producing a fertile pod, the seeds will germinate sporadically for years which is good because that's the only way to "maintain" this plant in your pond after the parent plant inevitably dies off.

My mistake was I added Koi to my pond and they ate up all the newly sprouting seedling ( and all vegetation in the pond for that matter) . When my parent plants died off, there were no new seedlings to replace them.

[The Silent Seed]

I, too, have read that they must remain "wet" to maintain viability - which in retrospect doesn't make sense since they undergo drought - so how does that work? Hmmmmm

I had no idea the plant itself was pretty fragile, and short-lived. Had no idea they took that long to germinate from seed - I probably gave up way too early - I was spoiled by Nelumbo seeds, which often germinate in a few days!

Yes, Koi will decimate vegetation very quickly! I actually have a large pink Osphronemus gourami (probably a delicacy for you) - who will eat anything, literally - including all plant matter. About once a year, I will give her a whole head of lettuce for fun, which lasts a day.

I think I have seen these lilies at the national water lily gardens in DC. (Or something darn near identical to it.)

[Gbarce]

From what I read about their habitat "drying up" I assume that the soil would still be wet or at the very least moist.

The seeds seem to germinate in batches. Some do germinate immediately, some after a few months , some a few years etc...

I suspect that the seeds sold on line are the "rejects" -- the ones that don't germinate immediately. That's why more often than not, the waiting time for them to germinate is really long. Once you produce your own seeds, you can observe the pattern of seed germination -- some are pretty quick.

Yeah I think that fish is called a Fairy Gourami over here -- I do have one with my koi. As far as I know it's a delicacy in Thailand but over here it's a pretty pricey aquarium fish so i don't think anyone would dine on it because it would be too expensive.

[The Silent Seed]

That's too cool that we have the same fish!!! How big is yours?

Mine is I think about 16 inches - and a little shy of 2 years old. Quite a "doggy" pet. Her name is Starbuck

[Agathis]

Hello from Catalonia!!!

I think that it is Euryale ferox. It's possible?

Greetings

[Gbarce]

They look similar, specially at this stage in their growth but Euryale ferox has thorns on the top of their leaves.

Also, Euryale flowers are blue. This one already has a flower bud forming and I can see that the petals will be white.

[The Silent Seed]

I figured I'd share Starbuck here! Here she is in a playful mood. She is so personable. (She is currently 16 inches - you can't really tell without a size reference in the photo.) A ping pong ball could fit into her mouth, for instance.

Edited October 18, 2014 by santoury

[Gbarce]

FLOWER BUDS!!!

[Gbarce]

This one will probably open tomorrow night

[Gbarce]

It's cool that your fish recognizes you. The one in my pond tends to swim away when I approach.

[The Silent Seed]

If kept in an aquarium, they are just like a puppy - Do you try to feed yours by the edge / by hand? Maybe you can bring yours around!

How big / old is yours?

[Gbarce]

First blooms!

[Pip]

Awesome how exciting

[Gbarce]

blooms on the second day

[bgl]

Gene,

These are truly impressive and beautiful plants. Must be pretty special to be able to grow them!

Bo-Göran

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Which species is the flat leaves and which have that rim on them?

[Really full garden]

Which species is the flat leaves and which have that rim on them?

V.amazonica has the largest diameter leaves but a small rim.V.cruziana has a deep rim with more red color and then there is a hybrid between these called Longwood which combines both.