a young leaf of Victoria amazonica. Victoria amazonica, commonly called Amazon water lily, royal water lily, giant water lily or Amazon water-platter, is native to quiet shallow waters in tropical South America, including, as the common name suggests, the backwaters of the Amazon River. It is a rhizomatous, floating-leaf, tender aquatic perennial that is noted for the huge size of its yellow-green leaves (4-6 feet in diameter) and its night-blooming (open at dusk and close by noon), pineapple-scented flowers (9-12 inches wide) that bloom in summer. Leaves are yellowish green above and coppery red beneath, with each leaf having a distinctive, continuous vertical edge (typically to 2-4? high). Leaf undersides and stems have sharp prickles. Genus name honors Queen Victoria.