Appearance
It can be grown in cooler waters than its sister within the genus, the more familiar giant waterlily, "Victoria amazonica". A 25 cm diameter flower blooms for two days, arising from the underwater bud, as a white flower that turns to a deep pink on the second and final day of its bloom. "V. cruziana" is a thermogenetic or heat-producing plant. The plant prefers to live in colder non moving water and requires warm temperatures in order for the flower to blossom, hence the plant must distribute a lot of energy to keep itself warmer than its natural environment. The floral stigma are attached to a cup that is protected by spines, and the floral cup begins heating up in the bud, then, as the flower opens, it releases a strong sweet scent to attract pollinating beetles, then continues to provide heat to the flower while the beetles are pollinating.References:
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