Art pieces and jewelry items are known to be auctioned off at a monumental price for the rarity and value that they present to buyers. However, in New Zealand, a Rhapidophora Tetrasperma plant became the object of desire for many bidders and was ultimately sold for $19,297 or $27,100 New Zealand dollars (Rs14,18,524 approx) on Sunday making it one of the most bizarre auctions.
The indoor plant was being sold on New Zealand’s auction website Trade Me. The description of the plant read that it has eight leaves with the ninth one just about to uncurl. It further read that each leaf has “excellent variegation” as does the stem and is well-rooted in a 14cm pot. The Rhapidophora Tetrasperma are native to Thailand and Malaysia.
Speaking to CNN, Trade Me spokesperson Millie Silvester said that the plant was the most expensive house plant ever sold on the auction site. It was also revealed that a heated bidding war in the auction’s final minutes was also witnessed as the plant had over 1,02,000 views and more than 1,600 watchlists. New Zealanders surely love indoor plants and have no qualms in spending a fortune on them.
Silvester also told CNN that they have been observing a rise in the price of indoor plants on their website quite recently. According to Silverster, the average price of an indoor plant on Trade Me had spiked from 34 NZD in May 2019 to 82 NZD last month with rare varieties being sold for enormous prices. Indoor plants or houseplants are increasingly becoming one of the trending items over the last couple of years, according to Silvester who has seen prices climb up as more New Zealanders hop on to this new trend.
In a similar fashion, last year an indoor plant, named variegated minima, with just four leaves was sold for more than NZ$8,000 (approx. Rs. 3,91,000) in New Zealand. The plant had four leaves with vibrant yellow variegation on every leaf and became one of the most expensive house plants ever sold on Trade Me. The indoor plant had broken the previous record of the highest selling bid at $1,650.
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