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yutaka hirasaka 

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There are so many succulent varieties, with nearly 2000 known species. Besides the common ones you can buy a whole windowsill of for 100 yuan, there are some expensive ones you have never even seen, and the prices alone are enough to make you want to spit blood... Today let's take stock of these expensive ones together!

- Expensive from birth -

Aztekium ritteri

Price: unknown

Aztekium ritteri (Boed.) Boed., also known as wrinkled cactus, is a perennial plant and succulent of the genus Aztekium in the cactus family, distributed in northeastern Mexico.

Note: Aztekium ritteri is an endangered species, and it grows extremely, extremely slowly, reaching a maximum size of only 7 cm

All wrinkled, not very attractive (image from the internet)

Whibleya

Price: (15 cm diameter) 2000 yuan

Whibleya is a perennial succulent plant of the genus Pachypodium in the dogbane family.

The rhizome is irregularly swollen, fleshy, containing a large amount of water, with a brown to gray outer skin bearing irregular protrusions and prickles.

Sarcocaulon multifidum

Price: (8.8 cm diameter) over 2000 yuan

Sarcocaulon multifidum - of the genus Sarcocaulon in the geranium family, also known as black lotus, black luomo fo; this genus is native to Namibia and South Africa. Its appearance is relatively close to Sarcocaulon peniculatum, making them hard to distinguish, but their prices differ vastly. Most of those circulating on the market are Sarcocaulon multifidum.

The way to tell Sarcocaulon multifidum from Sarcocaulon peniculatum is by the flowers: the center of the Sarcocaulon multifidum flower is red, while Sarcocaulon peniculatum has none.

Sarcocaulon peniculatum

Price: (8.8 cm diameter) over 4000 yuan

Sarcocaulon peniculatum is an endangered species, extremely rare, and export from its place of origin has been banned (scientific name: Sarcocaulon peniculinum)

Photography: f.arias

Ariocarpus retusus

Price: over 4000 yuan (very small diameter)

Ariocarpus retusus, a plant of the genus Ariocarpus in the cactus family, is a rare and endangered species. It is mainly distributed in Texas, USA and Mexico. Ariocarpus retusus has a strange appearance and enjoys the reputation of "giant panda among plants"; it is also called a living rock. It blooms profusely with delicate and gorgeous flowers, grows very, very slowly, and takes a hundred years to grow into a large specimen. Illegal digging is rampant.

Lophophora williamsii variegata

Price: (2.6 cm diameter) 1600 yuan

Of the genus Lophophora in the cactus family, native to western North America. Plants of this genus contain an alkaloid called mescaline, which causes hallucinations when taken, and are called poisonous cacti by succulent enthusiasts.

- The bigger, the more expensive -

Aloe polyphylla

Price: (40 cm diameter) 4000 yuan

Also called spiral aloe, it can be called the queen of the aloe world. Many leaves are tightly arranged in a clockwise or counterclockwise spiral, forming an even circle. It grows very slowly. So the bigger it is, the more expensive.

Aloe excelsa

Price: (50 cm diameter) 4000 yuan

A giant aloe, very imposing and quite cold-tolerant; of course, it does not grow fast either.

After taking stock of the slightly bizarre-looking ones, let's look at the fairies!

- Haworthia genus -

The most expensive one to headline this, not sure how many years old the photo is, a Haworthia truncata priced at a million Japanese yen, roughly around 600,000 yuan

Is the world of the rich really this terrifying???

Haworthia correcta variegata

Price: 150,000 Japanese yen, roughly around 10,000 yuan

Haworthia 'Karakusa' variegata

Price: over 6000 yuan

Haworthia maughanii 'Shirofuji' variegata

Price: 250,000 Japanese yen, roughly over 15,000 yuan

Just this plain-looking thing, still over ten thousand yuan??? I don't understand the world of rich people.

Millennium x Mirage hybrid maughanii

Price: 100,000 Japanese yen, roughly over 9000.

Hybrid maughanii varieties seem to depend on the appearance of the offspring; good-looking ones are naturally expensive, but they don't seem very translucent either.

The above images and prices are all from Yahoo Japan auctions,

There is no way to get in touch with the domestic rich enthusiasts who play with these

- Dudleya genus -

Dudleya greenei

Price: 100 heads for 10,000 yuan

This one is probably over a thousand (image from the internet)

Dudleya farinosa

Clumping price: over 10 heads for 4000+

Let me say a bit more: why are the above succulents so expensive?

The reason comes down to difficult propagation and slow growth, even requiring a hundred years to grow into such a small specimen, which is what makes people pursue them so fanatically. But the despicable practice of illegal digging behind it is also disgraceful. We had better just look at them~

Propagation of the Haworthia genus may not be as difficult as that of Sarcocaulon multifidum, but because their prime appearance cannot be replicated - right, even with tissue culture, the traits of the mother plant cannot be fully inherited, so each one is basically unique. Such unique and very beautiful succulents, no wonder their prices can approach that of a small car.

Finally, let me post another maughanii variegata. Everyone leave a comment guessing the price?

There is a prize for guessing right~

If you like it, please take a moment to move your fingers and share it~

- Review of last issue's content -

Note: The text and images are partly from the internet. If there is any infringement, please contact us and we will handle it promptly.