Variegated minima houseplant sells for $27,100 on Trade Me, beating previous record

Variegated minima houseplant sells for $27,100 on Trade Me, beating previous record
Photo credit: Trade Me

A "very rare" houseplant has sold on Trade Me for $27,100, beating the previous record.

The white variegated Rhaphidophora tetrasperma, also known as philodendron minima or "mini monstera", reached its selling price on Sunday evening after a week of frenzied bidding.

The plant has eight leaves, with a ninth due to uncurl, and the listing said each leaf has "excellent" variegation.

The listing had over 102,000 views and more than 1600 watchers.

A last-minute bidding war between three people in the last hour of the auction saw the price skyrocket from $9200 to $27,100.

Variegated minima houseplant sells for $27,100 on Trade Me, beating previous record
Photo credit: Trade Me

Rhaphidophora tetraspermas originate from Malaysia and southern Thailand and were first discovered in 1893 by British botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker.

It is a vining plant and uses its aerial roots to climb trees or trellises.

A variegated minima sold for $8150 last year on Trade Me, and at the time it set a record for its price, but that has since been beaten by a Philodendron Florida Ghost plant that was purchased for $12,250.