Giant waterlily so huge it 'can be seen from space' found

A new giant waterlily species so huge it can be seen from space, has been discovered.

The new species is called the Colombian giant waterlily, with the Latin name Victoria colombiana.

These giant waterlilies can have lilypads measuring up to two metres, and are one of the oldest flowering plants in the world still alive today.

Even more unusual, is the fact that the critically endangered species was discovered thanks to a post on social media.

The discovery was made following an Instagram post five years ago, when Jeremiah Harris from the United States, shared some photos he had taken of waterliles in Colombia's Inirida region.

The photos were seen by waterlily expert Carlos Magdalena, a horticulturist at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London, who suspected it could be a new species.

After using satellite imagery to confirm the location, he decided to travel to the region himself to investigate further.

Working alongside local experts and indigenous groups he was able to visit the site, although it took a while to find the waterlily species.

The group managed to find just two in a five-day trip, neither of which were in flower.

But just before the trip ended they found five of the giant waterlilies on a lake, deeper into the flooded rainforest.

One of them was in flower, which meant Carlos could take material back to begin formally identifying it for scientific purposes.

There are estimated to be just 30 to 50 of them in the wild, making the species extremely rare and under threat of extinction.

Carlos said the discovery was "one of those extraordinary stories where indigenous and horticultural knowledge with the help of social media and technology came together to uncover a truly extraordinary botanical achievement".

He added: "It is also a reminder that nature is still full of surprises and wonder. Now that we know this waterlily exists, our responsibility is to understand it better and protect it."

After using satellite imagery to find a third lake where the waterlily is present, researchers hope to continue efforts to collect seeds, with the aim of cultivating the plants in Colombia's capital Bogota.

He said: "New species are found all the time, but few are as large, spectacular and emblematic as this one.

"This new giant waterlily can even be seen from space, which is a striking reminder of how much we still don't know about life on our planet."

The hope it that maybe one day it could even be seen growing in London's Kew Gardens alongside related species.