Santa Cruz water lily (Victoria cruziana) blooming

It is in the Tropical Greenhouse's lake that the ex-libris of the Botanical Garden of the University of Porto's aquatic plants grows and blooms - the Victoria cruziana, deservedly known as the ‘Queen of the water lilies’. Its leaves can reach up to 2 metres in diameter, with upward-facing leaf margins about 20 cm high. The underside is covered in spines, which protect it from herbivores, and thick, hollow, protruding veins, which form small air chambers that increase its ability to float. But it's the flower of this water lily that fascinates us during the evenings spent in the Tropical Greenhouse, both because of its rapid opening, its size, colour and perfume, but also because of its interesting pollination strategy.