Rainforest Biome
Explore our enormous indoor rainforest. Trek through the humid tropics via SE Asia, West Africa and South America.
Santa Cruz water lily
Santa Cruz water lilypads can grow up to 2 metres wide. The huge leaves help the plant win the competition for sunlight. They grow in a pond in the Tropical South America section at the heart of our Rainforest Biome.
Botanical description
Explore the plant
1
The hollow veins in the huge leaves give strength and buoyancy.
2
The bud opens into a white flower in the early evening and is scented to attract and temporarily trap a beetle (Cylocephata castaneal) that pollinates the plant.
3
The flower turns pink or red the following day and lowers back into the water.
Where it grows
Facts
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