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The tiny water lily, Nymphaea thermarum, next to the larger Nymphaea, 'Kew's electric blue,' at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. The plant is one of the rarest in the world. RBG Kew
The Nymphaea thermarum next to an example of the largest waterlily in the world in Kew's waterlily house. The plant, of which only a handful of specimens still exist in the wild, was stolen from a lily pond. RBG Kew
The thief is thought to have dug or pulled it from the damp, temperature-controlled mud it needs to survive. RBG Kew
Kew Gardens is one of only two places in the world to cultivate this plant, and there were only 30 plants on display, London's Metropolitan Police said. They cite its value as "priceless" because of its rarity. RBG Kew/Prof. E. Fischer
The Nymphaea thermarum was discovered in 1987 by German botanist Eberhard Fischer at a thermal freshwater spring in Mashyuza, Rwanda -- the only known location in the wild. RBG Kew
