Most expensive carnivorous plant

The most expensive carnivorous plant known to have been sold to date is a hybrid Nepenthes pitcher plant (N. rajah x N. peltata), named "Leviathan", which was developed by carnivorous plant grower Jeremiah Harris of Colorado, USA. The male-flowering specimen sold in July 2019 to an anonymous buyer for $4,500 (£3,540).

Harris first hybridized "Leviathan" in 2008. A total of six seeds from the hybrid germinated and four survived to maturity. The name comes from the giant biblical sea monster and is also a play on his brother's name (Levi). During the same transaction, the buyer also purchased a specimen of N. undulatifolia for $900. Harris founded the Colorado Carnivorous Plant Society in 2003 and has one of the largest private collections in the USA.

Another notably expensive Nepenthes plant sold in 2020. A brightly coloured selection of the tropical pitcher plant N. veitchii - grown by Drew Martinez of Carnivero in Austin, Texas, USA - sold to an undisclosed buyer for $3,500 in a sale facilitated on Instagram.

Plants in the genus Sarracenia also occasionally command extraordinary sums. The priciest public sale of Sarracenia was a division of Sarracenia "Saurus". This specimen was developed and grown by the master hybridizer Phil Faulisi of California, USA, who sold the plant on eBay for $2,325 (£1,794) on 4 September 2017.

It must be noted, for those hoping to make a quick profit trading in carnivorous plants, that these were exceedingly rare, valuable selections. Typically, carnivorous plants can be bought/sold for $5 to $200.