A plant breeder sold a rare Philodendron billietiae for 1.7 million baht (54,487 USD) in Thailand.

Owner Khun Sorasak had been rearing the plant for five years until it developed unusually proportional leaves, branches, and stems at his yard in Nonthaburi province.

The nature enthusiast initially auctioned off the plant but the price was lower than he expected so he listed it on an online platform to find more buyers.

After the pictures were posted he quickly received a message from a plant collecter who was impressed by the beautiful leaves and stems on the Philodendron.

Sorasak said they agreed a price of 1.7 million Baht(54,487 USD) and gave the buyer a 35,000 baht (1121 USD) discount before the sale was done on April 26.

He said: ‘To be honest, it’s not overpriced. I would say it was a good price because the plant’s value could increase in the future.

‘The plant collector didn’t even bargain the price down as the five-year-old plant has proportional leaves, branches and stem.

‘In the business, the more leaves it has the more expensive it gets. My plant has a rare shape so 1.7 million was quite cheap.

‘It has 34 leaves. Therefore, one leaf was priced around 50,000 baht but the price actually could reach 100,000 baht per leaf.’

The Philodendron billietiae plant is native to Brazil, Guyana, and French Guiana which is especially known for its wavy ridged leaf edges.