Orchid Once Again Hits 12 Million Yuan Sky-High Price, Sparking Doubts

As one of China's ten traditional famous flowers, orchids are loved and sought after for their unique character and captivating fragrance. Orchid prices vary by variety, quality, rarity and other factors, spanning an extremely wide range, from a few yuan to over ten million yuan.

Common orchid varieties on the market, such as Cymbidium sinense 'Qihei', are relatively affordable, at about 16.97 yuan / plant; Golden Silk Horse-Tail Orchid about 2.77 yuan / plant; and freesia 1.91 yuan per plant. At some orchid trading events, ordinary orchid seedlings, mostly side-shoot seedlings, can be bought for just over ten yuan. Orchids with better appearance and slightly distinctive features cost more; for example, some orchids with variegated patterns (stripes and banding) may cost several hundred yuan or even over a thousand yuan.

On January 21, 2024 in Shengzhou, Shaoxing, a pot of orchid named "Shaxi Gao" started at 200 yuan and sold for a final price of 8000 yuan. Some special varieties or orchids of excellent quality command even higher prices. For example, the frosted rabbit variegated grass at Wuyupin Orchid Garden in Anlong County, Guizhou, is priced at 6800 yuan for just one plant.

In addition, some other orchid varieties are also expensive. 'Suguan Heding' is an extremely rare orchid variety; its flower shape resembles a lotus, its color is pure, and its fragrance is delicate, and its price is very high. Some rare varieties of Phalaenopsis, such as "Golden-Edged Phalaenopsis", multiply in value because of their unique golden-yellow edges, with market prices reaching several thousand US dollars. Cattleya is known for its large flowers and gorgeous leaves and is the "giant" among orchids; its price varies with variety, size and rarity, usually selling for more than several thousand US dollars per plant. Dendrobium is known for its unique form and rare flowers, with petals arranged in a spiral like a work of art; prices usually range from several hundred to several thousand US dollars, and may even reach tens of thousands of US dollars.

The rise of sky-high orchid speculation had a specific market environment and human factors. In the 20 th century 90 s, with the rapid development of the domestic economy, people's living standards improved significantly, and their pursuit of spiritual and cultural matters increased day by day, bringing the flower market booming opportunities. As elegant ornamental flowers, orchids won the favor of many consumers, and market demand gradually increased.

At the same time, some shrewd merchants discovered the potentially huge profit space in the orchid market. They began purposefully seeking orchid varieties with unique appearance traits, such as orchids with special variegated leaf patterns, unusual flower shapes or rare flower colors. They turned orchids into a special commodity with both ornamental and investment value, attracting a large influx of capital into the orchid market and laying the foundation for sky-high speculation.

Besides orchids, Clivia also once saw jaw-dropping sky-high speculation in the flower market. In August 2010 , at the 9th China Changchun International Agriculture and Food Expo (Trade Fair), a pot of Clivia was priced as high as 7777 ten thousand yuan, instantly becoming the focus of the whole venue. This Clivia was named "Hope", belonged to the "Youjiang Short-Leaf" variety, and was carefully selected and cultivated by the owner over 5 years from among several hundred thousand Clivia plants, the only one in the country. The owner introduced in detail the many merits of this flower in terms of its form, the four dimensions of leaf quality, leaf veins and luster, and stressed that this plant had won the "Flower Queen" honor at the China Changchun Clivia Fine Exhibition. Such a high price amazed many people; a single leaf was equivalent to 311 ten thousand yuan, more expensive than a gold bar of the same size. However, according to the owner, he would not sell even at a high price; he set this price first to block buyers, as he wanted to use it to breed the next generation; second, to use the high price to gain attention, promote himself while scaring off buyers, and keep the seedling stock. This also reflects the phenomenon of some merchants in the flower market using sky-high prices for commercial speculation. At that time, Clivia was highly sought after in Changchun; besides this Clivia priced at 7777 ten thousand yuan, many famous Clivia at the expo were priced at 188 ten thousand and 288 ten thousand yuan, and in various expos in recent years, Clivia priced at hundreds of thousands, millions or even tens of millions of yuan have frequently appeared.

Just a few months ago, some eye-catching high-price transactions once again appeared in the orchid market. At a grand orchid expo, a pot of orchid was priced at 1200 ten thousand yuan, instantly becoming the focus of the whole venue, and the saying "sky-high potted plants are making a comeback" spread quickly. This orchid might have a one-of-a-kind flower shape, with the curve of the spreading petals and the form of the stamens all just right; or its leaves might have extremely rare variegated patterns, with every line like a pattern carefully drawn by nature.

However, in the face of such sky-high prices, the public does not fully believe them. The orchid market once experienced a price bubble; in the early days some orchids were over-hyped, prices were artificially high, and then the bubble burst and prices fell sharply, causing many people to suffer losses, which made the public cautious and skeptical about such sky-high orchid transactions. Ordinary consumers find it hard to understand why a pot of orchid can be worth ten million yuan; in their eyes, although orchids are beautiful, such a high price far exceeds their understanding of its value as a plant. Some believe there may be speculation teams behind it, raising prices to attract attention and create false prosperity in the orchid market; others suspect the seller deliberately quoted a high price to build momentum for his own orchid brand and in fact would never complete a sale at that price.

Orchid prices range widely, from affordable to sky-high, and the most expensive orchid varieties, such as Daruma Orchid, are astonishingly priced because of their rarity, uniqueness and market pursuit. When choosing to buy orchids, besides considering price, it is more important to select varieties suited to your own preferences and caregiving ability.