Most Expensive?

[calypsoB]

I just saw a picture of a Neofinetia falcata that sold for 150,000! It was a one of a kind red stem.

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Pelepel

I had some specialized angels and discus. They weren't flowerhorn expensive, but pretty up there.

I also have Discus. To start off, quality fish aren't cheap.
And I have seen that show winners have been sold for thousands of ££.
So I guess this sort of thing happens in any hobby.

I was at an orchid show in December a few years ago. There was a nursery selling some plants and there was a Cymbidium that was a few hundred £.
I asked the lady why it was so expensive. She told me that if you want a white flowered Cymbidium at Xmas time, that's what it costs.
Personally I thought it was rediculous. But someone did buy the plant!

[tucker85]

Originally Posted by Pelepel

Never thought of orchids in the same category as AKC pups! So, out of a "litter" of orchids, how is it determined a prized specimen is produced? As I know in dogs, you'll have a standard of perfection. Those dogs are judged against their standard (people mistake against each other) and the dog most close to said standard more often wins (also depends on the judges of the day).

So, does the same hold true in orchids? Can one plant produce different offspring opposed to its "brother"? Colors, size, so on? Hence why a stud becomes so prized and valued? Never really thought about the breeding aspect. I know the difference between clone and cross. Just curious what makes an orchid $10,000 opposed to $40 for the same species.

Some orchid breeders have given presentations at our orchid society meetings and they've spoken about selecting breeding plants. When orchid hybrids are grown from seed the plants are not all the same. There can be big differences in color, shape, vigor, disease resistance and ability to produce quality offspring. When a breeder finds an individual plant that has superior color and shape he or she might try to use it to cross with other orchids but it takes years for them to discover if the plant produces good offspring. Plant vigor is another quality they look for. Of course once they get something really good they can use stem propagation to produce exact replicas of the plant. Breeders of quality orchids have breeding stock that are very valuable to them. They might sell a division or a stem propagation of a prize breeding plant for thousands of dollars.

[Pelepel]

Originally Posted by Sirius

I also have Discus. To start off, quality fish aren't cheap.
And I have seen that show winners have been sold for thousands of ££.
So I guess this sort of thing happens in any hobby.

I was at an orchid show in December a few years ago. There was a nursery selling some plants and there was a Cymbidium that was a few hundred £.
I asked the lady why it was so expensive. She told me that if you want a white flowered Cymbidium at Xmas time, that's what it costs.
Personally I thought it was rediculous. But someone did buy the plant!

They are such lovely fish and the variety of colors is amazing. I have never been to a fish show proper, but I could imagine some more sensitive types not doing well to any type of change. Like, you go to check your prized winning fishy and insta sushi.

I saw some orchids that were quite costly at a show. The type you don't want to breathe on.

[Pelepel]

Originally Posted by tucker85

Some orchid breeders have given presentations at our orchid society meetings and they've spoken about selecting breeding plants. When orchid hybrids are grown from seed the plants are not all the same. There can be big differences in color, shape, vigor, disease resistance and ability to produce quality offspring. When a breeder finds an individual plant that has superior color and shape he or she might try to use it to cross with other orchids but it takes years for them to discover if the plant produces good offspring. Plant vigor is another quality they look for. Of course once they get something really good they can use stem propagation to produce exact replicas of the plant. Breeders of quality orchids have breeding stock that are very valuable to them. They might sell a division or a stem propagation of a prize breeding plant for thousands of dollars.

Wow, thanks for that info! VERY interesting stuff. Never knew I would see a little of pups and think orchid, haha!

[Asian Cymbidium Empress]

There was a special exibit at this years Tokyo Dome Orchid Show as a celebration.

This Korean Cymbidium goeringii called En-kou-zetsu (円紅舌). The plant without the flower is the one in the actual exhibition and it is estimated to be 12,000,000 yen, which is roughly 120,000 USD.

What makes this clone so special is the following:
1. It has round petals (one of the highly regarded trait)

2. It has a dark purple lip (one of the highly regarded trait and it is trendy now).

3. The flower colour is splashy (not a solid colour).

In addition, the leaves are dwarfed and the leaf width is wide.

Here is for someone to think about......!

[SouthPark]

Expensive is one thing. But priceless is another!

One standpoint is marketing and breeding. Another is eye-of-beholder.

There are some priceless orchids out there, where people can't buy it, even if they wanted to.

Examples (I think) might be Fdk. After Dark 'SVO Black Diamond'




And ..... Rlc. Rosella Supreme 'Cynthia'

[Asian Cymbidium Empress]

Hi South Park:

Just to show you how crazy the Korean and Japanese are. I have seen En-kou-zetsu for sell in Japan. Everything has a price, even the most expensive orchid. For rare plants, there is a waiting list for it. You have to get on the waiting list. I have seen this for Cymbidium goeringii and Neofinetia falcata in Japan.

[DirtyCoconuts]

SP, why are those unattainable? are they extinct?

forgive if this is a "known" thing

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

SP, why are those unattainable? are they extinct?

forgive if this is a "known" thing

One thing to remember about specific cultivars... if they have been cloned, there's still a finite number. Unless cloned again, that cultivar will become unavailable. (I think both of the cultivars cited by SP are mericlones) A remake of the cross, even with the exact same parent plants, may produce very different results. If different cultivars of the same parent species or hybrid, even more different.

Of course, if a particular cultivar HASN'T been cloned, availability would be only by division (often the case on the most prized Neofinetia falcata, Dentrobium moniliforme and Asian Cym species) and so those would be REALLY rare, and extremely expensive.