Bhubaneswar: The next time you enter Lok Seva Bhawan, Odisha’s secretariat, a spectacular sight may catch your eye: A water body adorned with enormous circular floating leaves and fragrant flowers that change colour from white to pink. The attraction is the giant water lily (Victoria amazonica), an exotic aquatic plant native to the Amazon basin of South America, which has successfully bloomed on the premises of the administrative building.The initiative, aimed at promoting the cultivation, conservation and research of the giant water lily in Odisha, is the result of the efforts of Jayant Kumar Jena, superintendent of Capital Nursery functioning under the arboriculture wing of the general administration department, who became fascinated by the plant after meeting Dr R Saravanan, famous as Dr Shravan, a botanist associated with Botanical Survey of India (BSI), at Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden in Howrah, West Bengal. He is recognised for his conservation, propagation and public engagement work involving the giant water lily.“I was fascinated by the giant water lily after meeting Dr Saravanan at the Indian Botanic Garden in Howrah. I requested him to help us cultivate this extraordinary plant in Odisha. We procured a tuber and initially experimented with its cultivation on Capital Nursery premises in Unit-II area here. We succeeded in growing it, which encouraged us to take up a bigger project,” Jena said.He said the success of the initial experiment prompted him to develop a larger water body at Lok Seva Bhawan to facilitate the cultivation, breeding and research of the species. “After preparing the initial structure for the water body, I invited Dr Saravanan to Odisha to guide us. In July 2026, we planted four tubers of the giant water lily, including male and female plants. Three of them survived and grew successfully. Last week, we witnessed the blooming of the first fragrant flower, marking an important milestone in our efforts,” Jena added.The giant water lily is renowned for its enormous floating leaves, which can grow up to three metres in diameter. Their upturned edges give them the appearance of shallow circular pans, while a network of strong, air-filled ribs on the underside provides buoyancy and structural strength. The undersides of the leaves and their stalks are covered with sharp spines that protect the plant from aquatic herbivores.However, it is the flower that makes the plant particularly fascinating. Its blooming cycle spans around 48 hours. The flower opens as a fragrant white bloom on the first night, attracting nocturnal beetles that help in pollination. On the second night, it turns pink or purplish before eventually sinking beneath the water.Native to the shallow, calm waters of the Amazon River basin and the Guianas, the giant water lily has long attracted botanists, horticulturists and nature enthusiasts for its unusual adaptations and striking appearance.The initiative would help showcase the diversity of aquatic plants and encourage greater interest in botanical conservation and research. The cultivation of the species at Lok Seva Bhawan is expected to add a distinctive botanical attraction to the secretariat while creating opportunities to study the plant’s growth and propagation under Odisha’s climatic conditions, said Anjan Kumar Das, additional director of estate, GA department.Apart from pass holders and staff and employees, the general public also can witness the plant on Republic Day, when Lok Seva Bhawan garden opens for all.A group of forestry students of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) visited Capital Nursery and was delighted to see and learn giant water lily cultivation on Friday. “Though I have studied about Giant water lily, I had never seen this plant. It is very beautiful, specially its floating leaves and colour-changing flower,” said Subhashree Priyadarshini, a first-year forestry student of OUAT.
