Kew Gardens’ giant waterlily leaf holds 102kg in annual Weigh-Off

Kew’s total beats its own entry from last year, with the competition’s overall results due on 28 August

A single leaf of a giant Victoria boliviana waterlily at Kew Gardens has held 102kg (224.87lbs), Kew’s entry for this year’s Waterlily Weigh-Off. The test took place in the Princess of Wales Conservatory and was confirmed on Wednesday 19 August.

The Weigh-Off is organised each year by Denver Botanic Gardens in Colorado. Public gardens and zoos around the world load up their lily pads with a variety of weights, from buckets of coins and gym equipment to tinned drinks, and more than 40 organisations took part in 2025. This year’s results will be announced on Friday 28 August.

Kew’s botanical horticulturists Aidan Pike and Martin Silnevs carried out the test. Silnevs stepped onto the pad first, bringing the total to 102kg once his gear, waders and plastic base were accounted for.

He was then joined by Pike, and the leaf held for several seconds before it buckled and took on too much water. It was later carved up and taken to Kew’s Compost Corner to be recycled as mulch.

The pair also tested a second leaf using stacks of tinned baked beans, recording 81kg (178.5lbs) before that one gave out too.

‘Stepping onto the waterlily pad felt so surreal and was, indeed, a real leap of faith,’ Silnevs said. ‘It’s all very counterintuitive to think a delicate waterlily could support a weight over 100kg, and yet, it did. The experience made me appreciate the ingenuity, resilience and beauty of nature even more.’

This year’s total is well up on 2025, when Kew’s entry reached 76.5kg (168.7lbs) using a combination of barbells, bricks and metal weights.

V. boliviana is one of three giant waterlily species currently on display together in the Princess of Wales Conservatory, alongside the Santa Cruz waterlily (V. cruziana) and Euryale ferox.

It was only described as new to science in 2022, and is the largest of the three known Victoria species, holding three Guinness World Records titles for largest species of waterlily, largest waterlily leaf and largest undivided leaf.

The largest recorded specimen was measured at 3.2m across at La Rinconada gardens in Bolivia. The leaves stay afloat thanks to air-filled channels in their veins, and are covered in spikes that help protect them from fish and birds.

The conservatory is currently the only place to see the three species side by side, while the historic Waterlily House, completed in 1852, undergoes a renovation. It’s due to reopen in spring 2027 following a £5 million grant from The Julia Rausing Trust.