House Plant Crazy

[Big Boy]

Has anybody else seen the stupid new Thai craze? Expensive house plants . In a country where many are currently reliant upon free food handouts, the cost of many plants is obscene. Some of these plants, which don't look anything special to me are priced higher than a brand new car. The example below posted by a friend on Facebook taken at Market Village is sort of a middle of the road price - the most expensive he saw was priced at 1,500,000฿. I've had to check my calendar to make sure it isn't 1 April.

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[Big Boy]

My initial reaction................. Can you smoke it?

Maybe our richer echelon should be cashing in their gold bars and investing in a few weeds

[dtaai-maai]

Hmmm, my initial reaction is that someone's having a laugh. Is there any evidence that this is a new 'Thai craze'? Is there a photo of someone handing over huge wads of cash to buy one of these plants?

[PeteC]

Maybe it's priced in Lao Kip?

[lomuamart]

I'm afraid to say that it has the ring of truth about it although 600K does seem obscene.

However, the son of one of my sisters-in-law has been selling what seem to me to be rubber plants for around 20K. My wife assures me that there are people daft enough to spend up to 800K on a plant - banana, for example, that has the "right colours".

OK, these enormous prices are crazy but I do think there's a market for buying "special" plants at say 7K and then waiting to be able to take cuttings that could be sold for 20K.

The young Thai chap above is doing OK out of it.

[PeteC]

It reminds me of one of these doomsday movies where earth is devastated and devoid of any living, growing things. Someone comes across a green, live plant and then the plot to possess it at any cost unfolds.

[Big Boy]

There is a media report that this forum does not allow links to (not the usual suspect), which claims they are selling. I've driven past 3 times this morning, and there are certainly plenty of people viewing.

[Big Boy]

Here you go, it's worse than I realised. A friend has just come back from MV, and this is, word for word, what he has said on social media. He's also posted plenty of photos.

Heaven on Earth And by course I mean the beautiful plants outside and inside Market Village. The most expensive 2.2 million Baht, no idea why all those plants are so expensive

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[buksida]

Only in Thailand where there is the largest wealth gap in the world would you witness this lunacy.

[sateeb]

Only in Thailand where there is the largest wealth gap in the world would you witness this lunacy.

Not even in the top 15 worldwide
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/money/201 ... /39510157/

[PeteC]

I wonder if the grower can get insurance here of any type? I don't think Thai insurance has evolved sufficiently enough yet to recognize things like this.

[PeteC]

It depends upon which article you read. There seems to be several.

Thailand’s wealth inequality is the highest in the world

https://www.aseantoday.com/2019/01/thai ... elections/

[buksida]

Exactly.

Thailand has the greatest wealth gap in the world
https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/2018/1 ... ld-report/

[PeteC]

These things seem to be some type of "Elephant Ear" plant, (which includes Taro). I've seen them all my life in various places, and per the article below they're classified as "invasive" in some of the USA. Really nothing special about these things except the colour and patterns, which is perhaps what makes them so expensive if the breeding to achieve the various designs is difficult.

https://www.thespruce.com/elephant-ear-plants-2132884

[hhinner]

These things seem to be some type of "Elephant Ear" plant. I've seen them all my life in various places, and per the article below they're classified as "invasive" in some of the USA. Really nothing special about these things except the colour and patterns, which is perhaps what makes them so expensive if the breeding to achieve the various designs is difficult.

https://www.thespruce.com/elephant-ear-plants-2132884

Fits with the name of the 2.2 million baht green and white plant above which is called ช้างขาว...
White Elephant. Appropriately.