科学家发现世界最大巨型睡莲品种

They're a marvel of the botanical world – giant water lilies dominating the pond in Kew Gardens.

它们是植物界的一个奇迹——巨型睡莲布满了邱园的池塘。

But these aren't just extraordinary to look at, they're also a species that's new to science.

但这种巨型睡莲不仅外观奇特，也是被科学界认定的新品种。

Rebecca Morelle, BBC correspondent

"They are huge, aren't they? And they feel so strong when you press down on them."

丽贝卡·莫雷尔       BBC通讯员

“它们可真大呀！而且在按下去时，可以感到它很结实。”

Carlos Magdalena, Horticulturist, RBG Kew

"Under the pad, there is a network of nerves and they're filled with air."

卡洛斯·马格达勒纳       英国皇家植物园邱园 园艺师

“浮叶下面长有神经脉络，里面充满了空气。”

For years, these plants were thought to be another species. But scientists suspected this wasn’t the case.

多年来，人们认为这个植物属于另一个品种。但科学家们对此持怀疑态度。

Carlos Magdalena, Horticulturist, RBG Kew

"When you think this is a new species, you have to demonstrate it. And this is what we have done. This is one of those things which I cannot really put into words, you know. I believe this is the highlight of my career."

卡洛斯·马格达勒纳       英国皇家植物园邱园 园艺师

“如果你认为这是一个新品种，得有据可依。我们给出了证据。这是让我无以言表的一件事情，是我职业生涯中的亮点。”

And this new species is called Victoria Boliviana, named after Bolivia, where it grows in the wild.

这个新品种叫作 “玻利维亚巨型睡莲”，以其野外生长地玻利维亚命名。

Rebecca Morelle, BBC correspondent

"Standing here, you really get a sense of just how huge this is. This is one plant and it's still growing. Not only is this the first discovery of a new giant water lily species in more than 100 years. It’s also now the biggest water lily in the world, with leaves that grow to more than three metres. That’s ten feet in size."

丽贝卡·莫雷尔       BBC通讯员

“站在这里，你能实实在在地感受到这些叶片是多么的大。这些叶片都是同一个植株长出来的，它还在生长。这不仅是100多年来首次发现的新巨型睡莲品种，它还是目前世界上最大的睡莲，叶片直径可达三米多，相当于10英尺。”

Astonishingly, the new species had been hiding in Kew's archives for more than 150 years. A specimen was collected and dried and stored, but wrongly identified.

令人惊讶的是，这个新品种其实在150多年前就被收录在了邱园的档案中。当时收集的标本待干燥好后被保存了起来，但对其品种的鉴定有误。

The discovery now brings the number of giant water lily species to three – and a key part of studying them is to make detailed botanical drawings.

这一发现使巨型睡莲的品种增加到了三种，研究这些品种的一大关键是绘制详细的植物学图画。

Lucy Smith, Botanical artist

"This is the open flower of the new species. Maybe I'm biased, but out of the three species I think it's one of the most beautiful flowers."

露西·史密斯       植物艺术家

“这是新巨型睡莲品种绽开的花。我可能有些偏心，但在三个品种中，我认为它是最美的花。”

Drawings of the different water lilies revealed their unique features.

不同睡莲品种的绘图展现了它们各自的独特之处。

Lucy Smith, Botanical artist

"I could, as an illustrator, highlight those differences that I saw. And in fact, while I was drawing those differences, they became even stronger in my mind, and I found new ways of telling them apart."

露西·史密斯       植物艺术家

“作为一名插图画家，画图时我可以突出我所看到的差异。事实上，在绘制这些睡莲的差异时，它们在我的脑海里变得更鲜明，让我找到了通过图画展示不同品种的新方法。”

The Waterlily House at Kew was built in the 1800s to showcase these natural wonders of the Victorian age.

邱园的睡莲温室建于19世纪，用来展示维多利亚时代的自然奇观。

But this new discovery shows that even today, these giants hold some surprises – and scientists say they still have much to learn about these remarkable plants.

但这个新发现表明，即使在今天，这个巨大的品种仍给人带来惊喜，科学家说，对这些了不起的植物还有许多需要学习了解的地方。