Houseplant sells on Trade Me for record $27,100

It was a tight race as the auction for the very rare white variegated Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma ended on Sunday night. Photo / Trade Me

A plant with just nine leaves sparked a bidding war on Trade Me last night, with the winning bid smashing records at an astounding $27,100.

The "very rare white variegated Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma" is now the most expensive houseplant ever sold on TradeMe.

The bidding war for the houseplant stayed hot until the end, with two bidders fighting hard for it until the last minute, before winner "meridianlamb" made the final, and winning, bid of $27,100.

"After a heated bidding war in the auction's final minutes, the rare plants had over 102,000 views and more than 1600 watchlists, which just goes to show how much Kiwis adore house plants," Trade Me spokeswoman Millie Silvester told CNN.

It is the most expensive plant ever sold on Trade Me. Photo / Trade Me

According to Silvester, the average price for an indoor plant on Trade Me has jumped from $34 in May 2019 to $82 last month.

"Houseplants have become the 'it' item over the last couple of years, we've seen prices creep up and up as more Kiwis jump on this new trend," she said.

The Rhapidophora Tetrasperma is a plant native to Thailand and Malaysia. The plant is also often called a "mini monstera" for its resemblance to the unrelated species

The plant is also often called a "mini monstera" for its resemblance to the unrelated species. Photo / Trade Me

A "variegation" occurs when two or more different colours appear in the leaves of a plant.

According to the auction listing, the plant has "8 leaves with the 9th just about to uncurl".

The rare white variegated Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma. Photo / Trade Me

"Each leaf has excellent variegation as does the stem and is well rooted in a 14cm pot," the listing, by Waitakere-based Trade Me seller "Hurley88" read.

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The auction had 248 bids in total, with the seller adding that, while pick-up was preferred, the auction included free shipping.

The same seller listed a variegated Monstera on Trade Me last year, which ended up selling for $6,551.