Rare collectable indoor plant Philodendron Florida Ghost sells for thousands

Philodendron Florida Ghost is a rare houseplant. Photo / TradeMe

One New Zealander has got their hands on a very rare Philodendron Florida Ghost plant, but it came at a hefty price.

The Florida Ghost was listed to Trade Me for just $1 reserve, but the seller found themselves thousands of dollars richer.

But this is no ordinary plant, it is a "rare collectable indoor plant".

How much would you pay for a plant? Photo / TradeMe

"Rare collectable indoor plant that's ready for a new home," the Trade Me user wrote in the description.

The Philodendron Florida Ghost's is named due to its changing leaves. New leaves are "almost white before they mature to a lighter green".

The auction closed on Saturday afternoon and attracted a total of 265 bids, selling for $12,250.

An image uploaded to Trade Me shows the plant is just bigger than the size of a lighter.

However, this isn't the first plant to sell for thousands of dollars on the online auction site. Last year a philodendron erubescens sold for $6700 becoming the second most expensive indoor plant to be sold on the site.

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"The most expensive houseplant ever sold on Trade Me was a variegated minima which sold for $8150 last month, beating the previous record-holder by $1650," said Trade Me spokeswoman Ruby Topzand back in 2020.

"Since 2015, indoor plant sales have grown by 2543 per cent onsite as more and more Kiwis look to bring greenery into their homes," Topzand said.