Queen for two nights
Victoria Regia - the greatest water-lily in the world. But to see its flowering it is not simple. The snow-white flower reveals only at night.
This amazing water lily more than a century and a half bears the name of the most famous Queen of England. Anything surprising. Victoria Regia – the queen of flora, the biggest in the world a water plant. Still it name «Victoria Amazonian» as to meet her it is possible on the warm rivers and lakes of pool of Amazon.
Average diameter of leaves of a royal water-lily – two metres. The edges bent up do their similar to huge dishes. The dense network of proveins with sharp thorns protects leaves, stalks and завязи colours from травоядных fishes (is also such). These green "vessels" excellently keep afloat. On the largest copies the adult person can easy stand or lie. Very big and very dense leaves of this water-lily maintain cargo to 50 kg. What to speak about babies. The ideal cradle - itself rocks on waves...
Flower at a huge water-lily the corresponding. Snow-white flowers of Victoria Regia reach thirty with superfluous centimetres in a diameter and exhale a luscious smell of pineapples and... toffys. One is a pity – they reveal all on two nights in a year. But it is enough of it, that there was a pollination.
As soon as the huge flower reveals, midges and bugs direct to it, involved with strong aroma and heat. This plant – the present live hot-water bottle. The temperature of air and water does not exceed 30 degrees, and in a water-lily it can rise to forty! Bugs creep there in search of food and heat – the flower is cooled, and petals are densely closed. Till the night. Insects appear locked up. However the lack of a freedom of movement is with interest compensated by a meal abundance.
All next day bugs regale on sugar and starch which contain in a flower. At last, with approach of twilight the sweet trap opens. Stuck round from feet to a head pollen, insects fly on the next water-lily. Also deliver pollen to its pestle.
And on an outcome of the second night the pollinated flower definitively is closed and plunges into water warmed up by the sun. There will be maturing. When the seed box will be opened, seeds will emerge on a surface. And the spread waters will carry them across all Amazonia, giving a life to new generation of these surprising plants.