A humble Hoya houseplant broke Trade Me's plant price record on Monday night after selling for $6500.
This price is comparable to the same as a small family car, like a 2009 Toyota Corolla.
The plant listed as a 'Hoya Compacta Hindu Rope - Reverse Variegated', attracted hundreds of views with 731 people adding the Hoya to their watchlist and over 150 bids.
The official description boasted a "cream/yellow variegation on the inside of the leaf. Not commonly seen". 23 questions and answers were fired back and forth throughout the Hamilton plant's time on the site.
In a statement on Monday, Trade Me said Hoyas are the hottest houseplants right now and there is a "growing demand for them".
In the last week, Trade Me has had 37,000 searches for Hoyas alone, which makes it one of the top 50 most sought-after items.
Houseplants have been making waves in the online shopping world with a variegated Monstera selling for $4390 in January on Trade Me.
A Trade Me spokesperson believes lockdown could be to blame for New Zealanders newly-discovered green thumbs. With people stuck inside for such a long period of time, they believe kiwis came to the conclusion they could beautify their homes with plants.
On Monday evening there were more than 400 Hoya plants for sale on Trade Me.
