Spectacular new species of waterlily discovered in Australia

A perilous expedition in northwestern Australia that had researchers wading through lakes, ponds and creeks stalked by meat-eating crocodiles has ended with the discovery of a stunning new species of waterlily. Scientists from Australia and Kew Gardens in London covered hundreds of miles of Western Australia by helicopter and jeep on a three week mission to collect species of waterlilies. The specimens will help botanists understand the plants’ evolutionary story and how they can be cultivated and preserved. The spectacular new flower, with slender petals of purple and white, was found by chance when the group spotted a narrow body of water shaped like a crescent moon in a remote area off the Gibb River road in the wilderness of the Kimberley. The species is too new to have an official name, but informally botanists call it peony flora, for its resemblance to that flower. The scientists stumbled on the new species after the minor disapointment of checking out a small lake for waterlilies and finding none there. They were just pulling away in their car when someone noticed a narrow waterway, half hidden -READ MORE -http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jun/05/spectacular-new-species-of-waterlily-discovered-in-australia