Tiniest water lily in world is saved

THE smallest water lily in the world, which had vanished from its only known hot-springs location in Africa, has been saved from extinction.

The tiny plant, whose lily pads can be as small as 1cm across, is known as the "thermal water lily" because it was found growing in the muddy edges of a hot freshwater spring.

It was discovered in 1985 and was known in only one location, in Rwanda, from where it disappeared two years ago, as water feeding the spring was extracted for agriculture.

Professor Eberhard Fischer, who discovered the species, transported a few specimens to Bonn Botanic Gardens in Germany, where horticulturists were able to preserve them – but they proved extremely difficult to propagate.

A handful of seeds and seedlings were sent to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and, after a series of failures, they grew.

Professor Stephen Hopper, director at Kew, said the lily illustrated the wider plight of seasonal wetlands, which were high in wildlife.

The lily is to go on display at Kew, along with a range of endangered plants brought back from the brink of extinction.