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The rainforest reconstruction in the Winter Garden features in particular in its pond the amazing Victoria Cruziana, a giant aquatic plant. Originating from Amazonia, the “Queen of the Waters”, Victoria regia, the legendary plant of 19th century Winter Gardens, is still relatively rarely seen in France.
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First catalogued in 1801 by the botanist Haenck in the backwaters of the Amazon, this astonishing plant was rediscovered in British Guyana by Schomburg in 1837 and dedicated to Queen Victoria. The first flower was produced in a greenhouse specially constructed for it by
the Duke of Devonshire at
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Click HERE to enjoy the slide show of the astonishing Victoria Cruziana!
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Chatsworth in 1849, under the guidance of the illustrious Joseph Paxton. Here lay the beginning of Victoria's adventures in Europe
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Passions raged over this plant in the second half of the 20th century, particularly in Great Britain where greenhouses were specially constructed. Two species have been catalogued: Victoria regia, originating from Guyana and Brazil, and Victoria cruziana, originating from Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia. In our pond at Sens, Victoria cruziana has flowered every year for more than a quarter of a century.
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Another close relative can be seen in the basin, an Asiatic cousin of Victoria - Euryale ferox, originating from the Asian rainforests. It used to be found in Europe, in the Pliocene epoch! It made its first appearance and produced its first flower in Europe in 1883, in the Berlin Botanical Garden.
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