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According to Millie Silvester, spokesperson for auction website Trade Me, it is the most expensive houseplant ever sold via the website. “It was a very exciting bidding war in the last minutes,” Silvester told CNN. “The plant has been viewed 102,000 times online and has been added to 1,600 follow-up lists. It just goes to show how much we Kiwis love houseplants.”
In New Zealand dollars, the plant cost about $27,100. The average price for a houseplant on Trade Me had already risen from $34 in 2019 to $82 last month. Rare copies in particular change owner for enormous amounts of money. „Houseplants are the new it-piece become in recent years. We have only seen prices rise,” Silvester continues.
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And whether the Rhapidophora Tetrasperma is rare. “This plant has eight leaves, the ninth is just emerging,” the description reads. “Each leaf is excellently variegated in color and the plant is well rooted in a pot with a diameter of 14 centimeters.” The plant is mainly found in Thailand and Malaysia.
Pick up yourself
In addition to paying the hefty amount, the person who bought the plant also has to set out to pick up his or her new acquisition in Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. In the end, 248 bids were made on the plant.
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