Has anyone else noticed the rise in the popularity and search for Alocasia azlanii? I check etsy once in a while and after seeing on reddit, I saw these plants were suddenly largely available but prices are very high despite a big amount of sellers posting them. Just got into collecting Alocasia specifically and was wondering of anyone here owned one and how they felt about them!

I had a chance too trade for one (today as a matter of fact) and decided against it, it looks quite similar to my Alocasia cuprea and I just don't feel the need to collect it. The person I could have traded with sold one last week for $225. (I belong to several BST groups, this lady lives in my same town). Not worth it IMO. For these to have exploded on the market suddenly like they have, they must be in tissue culture, I think people are importing them from Asia as small plants and growing them to a slightly larger size and reselling them at huge profit which really just sucks. I would not pay more that $30 for a well grown specimen of Azlanii, but then, most of the plants I have in my collection I was able to buy or trade for in the period of the late 1990's-mid 2000's when you could actually buy something like an Anthurium warocqueanum for $30. I think I paid $20 for my first cuprea, $10 for ALocaisa reginula, my ALocasia Dewey's Reversa was a gift, etc. Its a nice plant for certain but when you have grown one Jewel Alocasia, you've about grown them all. For me its more fun to collect different species of Anthuriums with all their cool different leaf forms

Thank you so much for your reply and input Gina! I had a feeling that they are being tissue cultured now from the rapid rise in them and very intrigued by how fast the market grew over the last couple of weeks!
Definitely will be putting off getting one since my cuprea already fills the spot for red and interesting. I've also seen some note that the plant turns more green over time, love the striking red venation it boasts from pictures but wouldn't pay those crazy amounts.
On the topic of Jewel Alocasia, I noticed some drop from high prices in the last couple of years from looking at past sold prices. Scored my Reginula for $15 and even that felt like a lot for only 2 leaves, but the joy of seeing them grow out is worth it!

It's the same thing with zebrina reticulata. I have one that I bought early last year for about 20 dollars on eBay, and now I'm seeing the same size plant being sold for upwards of 90. Personally, I like to stay away from trending plants because I know the price increase is because of the hype. It will decrease in pride eventually

They are also tissue culturing Dragon Scale/Silver Dragon. We were at Ecuagenera a few weeks ago and they had a whole end of a table devoted to small TC Silver Dragon. In fact the Agristarts van (Agristarts is Florida's TC company) was leaving when we were pulling up. They were asking $100 each (yeah, right? NO). I just traded for this one today, its a nice well grown plant


A few of us got together here in my town and started out own Facebook group, a BST (Buy-Sell-Trade) for rare plants, not just aroids but things that are really uncommon and not seen at box stores or even local independent nurseries. We are all veterans of selling plants through the mail, and with the shipping delays that have been happening since the summer and now with colder weather coming back we decided we needed a venue to hook up everyone locally who had the same type of plants. I have made several sales but more importantly I have made several trades, which I actually prefer. I thing everyone should look into the interest where they live and do the same thing.

Yes, I noticed the price of Reginula dropping. I think too that a LOT of people are just tired of the folks who are importing plants from Asia and almost immediately reselling them for high prices. There is generally a lot of rehab involved for some of these purchases and I hate to be BLUNT but a lot of people spending big hunks of change on these plants do not really have the experience to get something that is less than healthy to survive. They all go to Youtube and look for pointers. Just silly.

There are also some unscrupulous people locally and now that all of us have discovered who they are we are just not trading or buying from them. I traded a nice Anthurium pappililaminum to a girl for a variegated Philodendron McColley;s Finale (which was an almost $400 plant if you can believe that) but at the sane time the Papi I traded would have sold at auction for between $400-600. SO the trade was pretty equal. That very sane day she listed the plant I traded her on a sale sight.

I don;t trade or buy to flip or chop up and resell, I get plants to GROW them. No one will trade or do business with this girl anymore because others have reported that her trade and sale plants are extremely tiny.

I just got back from a greenhouse that was selling small specimens for $200 a piece. They were small plants with around 5 leaves (a few inches in length).

My mother really wants one, but $200 for a small plant? That feels far too expensive... Would have loved to get it for her birthday coming up, but my goodness...

For "casual" collectors I think it's actually a good thing that these plants are so popular now. When they're in tissue culture and the hype & peak demand are over, the prices go way down. I'm sure supply will exceed demand soon enough, like it did for some of the other Jewel Alocasias in the Netherlands. I got my Alocasia cuprea for €7 and my Dragon Scale for €6. Black Velvet and Silver Dragon were under €15 earlier this year as well.

It would be nice to set up a regular trade group here up north but with how often people rather sell for high prices I end up waiting for the snowy winter months when new collectors start thinning out there splurges and the resellers are out of room.

From looking through sell prices, patience is key especially after a boom of favor towards certain plants, zebrina was sold at local shops recently for $10 but of course not without it's fair share of pests but with some knowledge it's a good find. Silver dragon was around $30 at a local nursery on a restock day, two days later fb groups full of resellers $60+. I'm no longer in a rush to get anything after seeing some fair prices pop up for most plants even variegated versions.

Someone I know actually, was buying Alocasias from the same greenhouse. The $70 ones, and putting them on Facebook for bid, with a $200 reserve, just to try to profit. A bunch of people called him out on it thankfully. I was preeeetty sure that's where he was getting them from.

I am glad they called him out. I have a friend who lives in Oregon, she made a trade with a lady in NY who is VERY active on the BST's on FB. She sent her trade plants and the lady immediately chopped them up and listed them for resale. Then, she never sent her end of the trade. I live less than 2 hours from Ecuagenera USA, and people from the FB pages that live in So FL haunt that place and raid all the new restocks then go back home and immediately lust them for resale at huge prices.

Adding to this to keep track of updates. Finally seen Azlanii hit my fb group in Illinois, going for around $160 for a specimen.
Asked the sellar some questions and come to find they are definitely tissue cultures they have had since August.
Also note seeing this species on other forums, many having leaf issues with these plants. A lot of weird discoloration that comes and goes with leaf damage. Many claim they keep theirs in medium indirect light by a window with around 60-70% humidity and have lost their plant to what they think is root rot in moss and leca. I've been scouring the internet for a fuller more mature TC plant to no avail. A nursery in Massachusetts had them for around ~$250 only to discount them weeks later to $100. The speed at which these are being put out and dropping in price is definitely a red flag with all the issues I've seen in the last two months.

I had the chance to trade for one and did not. I traded instead for the Dragon Scale I posted earlier in the thread. I am just not that taken with azlanii, especially at the high prices It reminds me a lot of a cross between cuprea and clypeolata...and I have some very nice cupreas already. I do NOT mean this in ANY WAY disrespectfully because there are a LOT of growers who grow in the house that are able to grow more unusual and rare plants...but many are using 'portable grow houses' that they are setting up and devoting real space and money to to outfit with humidifiers, grow light set ups, you name it. They aren't just growing on the windowsill. At least the ones having better success may not be. If I get another chance to trade for one of these I might just to see what the hype is all about. I did that with Philodendron Birkin...I resisted the urge to trade for one, and low and behold our frigging GROCERY STORE here got some for $17.99. When they were selling for $85+ elsewhere...? So of course I bought one, to see how long it would take it to start putting out the weird wonky leaves....and of course I get the one that is seemingly stable in its green and white variegation, no weird colors or shapes after months and months LOL. It will be interesting to see what happens with this alocasia.

So glad I found this thread while doing a search for alocasia!!! I'm in several Facebook groups & in one we are doing a secret Santa swap. My person listed alocasia as a favorite houseplant, actually said just getting started with them. I don't have any & thought I could buy some bulbs or baby starts or something. Holy crap at the prices I'm seeing on Facebook & etsy. I'm not paying over $30 for a plant for myself so I'm sure not paying close to that for a complete stranger. Can anyone point me to a reputable source? I'd still like to find a small one to give.

Well it depends on what you are talking about when you say ALocasia. There are many MANY species and hybrids of ALocasia. Some go for $10 at Home Depot for a 3 gallon stuffed container. But some are a lot more rare, like the Jewel ALocasias, and go for enormous prices. If you Santa pal likes ALocasia, chances are, they have all the common ones you could afford already. I would not gift a complete stranger with a $30+ dollar plant

Yeah, I have family members I wouldn't spend $30 on, I'm for sure not spending that on a plant for a complete stranger. Not knowing what they already have. I'll look for something else😕😲😬.