A bidding war broke out on TradeMe on Tuesday night over a monstera house plant, with the victor paying nearly $5000 for the luscious, leafy mother plant.
The monstera deliciosa albo variegata - also known as the Swiss cheese plant due to its holey leaves - received 182 bids on the Kiwi website, eventually selling for $4930. The auction had a reserve of $1.
Two users were particularly passionate about securing the large, metre tall plant, with a bidding war breaking out at around 7:30pm on Tuesday. Multiple bids were made by each users every minute, with the price jumping at times by as much as $100 per bid.
"In what was described as a "Lord of the Rings length description", the seller said has "the classic ruffles at the petiole that is characteristic of deliciosa.
"No need to ask for pics of the mother plant, this IS the mother plant! Have not seen such a mature, rooted one on offer before."
The seller described the plant as rapidly growing with one leaf larger than 40cm. On average, the plant was "throwing out a new leaf every couple weeks".
Three nodes are currently growing from the monstera which could eventually become separate plants if well-cared for.
"This is a great investment plant".
Questioned on TradeMe about they were selling the plant, the user said that was a "personal question" they wouldn't answer in detail.
"It’s a very healthy plant and that’s all that matters for the auction really."
One of the most expensive monstera still on sale on TradeMe is currently going for $2000, but has yet to received a bid. It is described as a "monster" monstera deliciosa and is 2.5 metres tall and two metres wide.
