Giant water-lilies damaged by coins

This is a Victoria amazonica time-lapse video.

Leiden University in the Netherlands reports that the leaves of their Victoria amazonica giant water-lilies used to be over two meter in diameter. Last year, they were only one meter fifty.

The botanical gardens in Utrecht and Haren had bigger leaves than in Leiden, though the seed for their Victoria amazonica had come from Leiden.

Why have the Leiden leaves shrunk?

Research showed that there was too much iron in the water. People throw coins in the water to help the hothouses financially. Euro coins, which replaced earlier Dutch coins, of 5, 2 and 1 cents have copper and steel. In water, these coins rust.

Nymphaea thermarum is the world’s smallest water lily. It nearly became extinct. Now, some are in the botanical garden in Leiden, the Netherlands.

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