Tiny Waterlily Brought Back to Life

Plant scientists at Kew Gardens have given us something to celebrate on May 22, International Day for Biological Diversity: a tiny, endangered waterlily that grows in hot springs has been resurrected by horticulture “code-breaker” Carlos Magdalena. The way to bring the so-called "thermal" lily (Nymphaea thermarum), which can be as small as 1 cm in diameter, back to life was an enigma that had eluded scientists.

The lily disappeared from the wild after its fragile habitat was exploited, but luckily, Professor Eberhard Fischer, who had discovered the species, saw the threat and saved a few specimens at the Bonn Botanic Gardens. Scientists there managed to keep the samples alive but were not able to reproduce them. It took Magdalena, famous for being able to propagate the most difficult-to-reproduce plants, to make the little lilies grow.

The benefit of this development is about more than just the joy of seeing a pretty plant come back to life. Waterlilies are some of the most ancient flowering plant species on earth, so any given type might hold vital information about the evolution of flowering plants, said Magdalena.

And besides, good news like this on the ecological landscape means a lot in an era of environmental crisis. "Kew is one of those places that offers a sense of hope in a time of relative doom and gloom about the state of the natural world, where individuals, by doing practical things with plants, can make a real difference to biodiversity conservation," said professor Stephen Hopper, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.

"Now we have over 30 healthy baby plants growing here at Kew and some are producing seeds so soon we may have an army of these tiny waterlilies here at Kew," said Magdalena. "Its future in botanical collections seems secured for the long term."

Photo by Kurt Stueber via wikispecies.