Rare plants may be the latest collection item. MonsteraX, the first-ever digital marketplace for rare plants, features a selection of the most unique and scarce breeds of plants, with some selling for up to $9,000.
After noticing the increasing demand for rare plants during the pandemic, Senior Director of NBA team marketing and business operations Manny Lorras created MonsteraX to offer a rare plants marketplace outside of platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Etsy that was actually optimized for plants’ needs and had real protections in place for consumers, according to Clever.
Lorras’s houseplant journey began when he took over the care of his mother’s collection of rare plants after she passed away. His interest in the rare plant market piqued after coming across a variegated plant at a local plant nursery that stood five feet tall and featured bright pink leaves due to a mutation caused by an absence of chlorophyll. The rare variegated plant, which sold for $500 dollars at the time, is also now one of the most sought-after and valued plant varieties on MonsteraX.
With his success of propagating and selling rare plant clippings back in 2021, Lorras launched the MonsteraX market and app in 2022, where hundreds of small plant businesses around the country are now able to sell rare plants to consumers online.
Here are three of the most popular rare houseplants sold on the MonsteraX marketplace.
1. Anthurium sp. nov “DF”
Dubbed the “Holy Grail” of the Anthurium species, this plant features a flaring basal lobed, narrowing leaf structure with pale veining that is contrasted by the dark leaves. It is rarely found in the U.S. and is responsible for the first, third, fourth, fifth and sixth largest sales on the platform, ranging in price from $6,900 to $9,150.
2. Variegated Monstera
There have been a total of 28 sales of Mint Variegated Monsteras node cuttings and whole plants so far, which has totaled over $60,000 in sales. Specifically, Mint Variegated Monsteras go for anywhere from $500 to $4,500 a piece.
3. Various Anthurium Seeds
Due to the ability to propagate into multiples, the seeds of Anthurium plants are very popular on the MonsteraX platform, where some seeds have sold at $100 each.
Learn more and explore the unique selection of rare houseplants on the MonsteraX platform here.
