The Giant Water Lily (Victoria amazonica) is a flowering plant and the largest of the Nymphaeaceae family of water lilies in the world. It is native to the shallow waters of the Amazon River basin and is depicted in the Guyanese Coat of Arms as it is the National Flower of Guyana.
After discovery and description in 1837, it was named ‘Victoria Regia’ after Queen Victoria of England and once named was the subject of rivalry in Victorian England as gardeners started a well-mannered competition to see
