Giant Water Lily

Victoria species are rhizomatous, aquatic, adventitious roots. The leaves emerge from a stipular sheath long and wide or more. The abaxial leaf surface possesses prominent, reticulate venation.

The up to 25 cm wide, nocturnal, thermogenic, however there is an abrupt change between the innermost petals to the outermost staminodia. The androeceum consists of 150–200 stamens. The gynoecium consists of 30–44 fused carpels. The 0–15 cm wide, spiny, irregularly dehiscencent fruit bears arillate, glabrous, smooth or granular seeds. Proliferating pseudanthia are absent.

The ploidy level is 2x and the chromosome count ranges from 2n = 20 to 2n = 24.

Victoria was published by Robert Hermann Schomburgk in September 1837. Victoria is seen as correct by several sources, despite being published a month later.

{|class="wikitable" |- ! Image !! Scientific name !! Distribution !! Description |- | ||Victoria amazonica ||shallow waters of the Amazon River basin, such as oxbow lakes and bayous ||The flowers are white the first night they are open and become pink the second night. They are up to 40 cm in diameter, and are pollinated by scarab beetles. According to Parodi, both V. amazonica and V. cruziana can occasionally produce flowers up to in width. The flower is depicted in the Guyanese coat of arms. Fayaz gives the same maximum width for V. amazonica. |- | ||Victoria cruziana ||Parana-Paraguay basin ||Slightly smaller than V. amazonica, with the underside of the leaves purple rather than the red of V. amazonica, and covered with a peachlike fuzz lacking in V. amazonica. V. cruziana opens its flowers at dusk. |- | ||Victoria boliviana ||Bolivia || Leaves reaching more than in width, larger seed and ovule size |- |} . A wooden plank and a towel is placed on the pad to distribute the weight over the leaf's surface.]]

Together with the genus Euryale, Victoria may be placed within the genus Nymphaea, rendering it paraphyletic in its current circumscription.

Victoria flowers are pollinated by Cyclocephala beetles.

===Horticulture=== Victoria is a popular ornamental plant.

The seeds, petioles, and rhizomes are used as food.

Root extracts are used as black dye.