Nature
PUBLISHED
As a child you might have climbed trees, or collected daisies, or even told the time from a dandelion – but have you ever sat on a waterlily? This month saw the annual giant waterlily weigh off, with staff from different botanic gardens donning their waders for a chance to win the crown.
Organized each year by Denver Botanic Gardens, the contest sees gardens around the world attempting to pile things on top of their waterlily leaves in a bid to win glory for their institution.
This year's competition takes place between August 17 and 28, with the winner announced on Friday 28, and the premise is simple: grow the biggest, strongest Victoria waterlily you can, see how much weight it can hold, and then submit your entry to social media.
Waterlilies in the genus Victoria are famous for their large size. A new species was added to the genus in 2022, making Victoria bolivia the largest species in the world after a case of mistaken identity for 177 years.
The 2023 winner, Kew Gardens in the UK, this year saw botanical horticulturist Martin Silnevs mount the waterlily pad, adding a combined weight of 102 kilograms (224.87 pounds) onto the leaf when accounting for the plastic base, waders, and gear.
He was then joined by fellow horticulturist Aidan Pike, but unfortunately that proved to be too much for the leaf as it began to take on water and buckle.
"Stepping onto the waterlily pad felt so surreal and was, indeed, a real leap of faith! It’s all very counterintuitive to think a delicate waterlily could support a weight over 100kg, and yet, it did," said Silnevs in a statement sent to IFLScience.
Another leaf was tested with 100 tins of baked beans and reached an impressive 81 kilograms (178.5 pounds) before it too buckled.
The lily pads were later taken to the compost corner to recycle the green waste back into the gardens.
 and Martin Silnevs (R) - CREDIT - Sebastian Kettley © RBG Kew (1).jpg "Two men stand either side of a waterlily pad with lots of baked bean tins piled up in the middle of it.")
"The experience made me appreciate the ingenuity, resilience and beauty of nature even more. Fun exercises like the Waterlily Weigh-Off just go to prove that nature has a way of defying our expectations and reminding us just how extraordinary the world around us truly is," continued Silnevs.
The Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens have entered the competition with an Alice In Wonderland-inspired theme that saw the team balance 73 kilograms (163 pounds) on the top of their pad, while also enjoying some afternoon tea.
Last year’s winners Bok Tower Gardens have entered the competition using gym weights and piled an impressive 129 kilograms (285 pounds) onto their lily pad while kneeling above on a plank of wood. But will it be enough?
According to Denver, this year’s competition is set to feature roughly 50 entries from eight countries across the world. Stay tuned for the winner.
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