list of rare cactus

marges · Post by **marges** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 4:01 am

Hello, I read a recent post about ariocarpus fissuratus on ebay going for 300 dollars. What other cacti are rare and worth alot? I'm suprised a plant would go for so much, are there any other types of plants worth alot that are not cacti. It would be awesome to raise plants and pay some bills by doing so.

martenfisher · Post by **martenfisher** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 4:54 am

Just found this today.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROOTED-Schlumbe ... 1e7064c78a

marges · Post by **marges** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 5:16 am

not a very good picture, do you think it will sell for that much?

Gnostic · Post by **Gnostic** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 5:35 am

I think it will.
I would rather spend that much on a yavia personally.

marges · Post by **marges** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 7:30 am

Good info keep it coming

Harriet · Post by **Harriet** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 12:20 pm

Sometimes it seems that most of the cactus for sale on eBay is "rare". Some are and some aren't. Let the buyer beware!

peterb · Post by **peterb** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 4:23 pm

The $300 Ariocarpus fissuratus was in all likelihood a large, old habitat plant, perhaps even illegally dug out of the ground.

Whenever I see the word "rare" on eBay I move right along. It is a liar's advertising word, for the most part. Most of the time, "rare" plants will not be for sale on eBay, in my experience. (I am checking today's auctions, for example. Now, this $11,000 variegated Agave utahensis v. eborispina is very rare, it's true. It is probably not truly eborispina, however. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Agave-yellow-va ... 2c66a1d2d6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Looking at the supposed Schlumbergera opuntoides, I am not entirely sure that is what it is.)

anyway, caveat emptor. I prefer purchasing plants from knowledgeable, reputable specialty growers who have made it their life work to offer accurately labeled, well grown plants for a fair price.

peterb

martenfisher · Post by **martenfisher** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 5:07 pm

What makes a rare plant valuable? I own very rare plants I also have one of a kinds. I know I am not getting rich on them anytime soon. I knew orchid hybridizers who produced vials of hybrid orchids. Pretty much every little plant in the vial was one of a kind and existed nowhere else. With them and thousands of other people doing the same things and producing hundreds of thousands of supposed rare plants how do you pick one to be more valuable than the rest. Maybe if I give my plants a fancy name and over sell it with fancy speach maybe the price alone may make someone want to buy it just like paying more for disigner clothes. You really just are getting clothes and a name.

Peterthecactusguy · Post by **Peterthecactusguy** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 10:35 pm

heck you sent me some of the rarest cacti that you have, and I sent you some pretty rare ones I have too. I enjoy Opuntia for the different forms. Are the rare ones my favorites? not really? Do I like them any more or less than a common cacti? NOPE. I like them all the same for each one is unique in it's own way. I am not a dishonest person, so therefore I won't sell plants marked up because I can.

BTW are you even sure that is S. Opuntioides? It looks more like an etoiliated Opuntia if you ask me... but I could be totally wrong.

martenfisher · Post by **martenfisher** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 11:30 pm

Hard for me to tell but it does remind me of it.

Gnostic · Post by **Gnostic** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 12:23 am

For me, rare means cacti that I would really like to add to my collection but are extremely hard for me to find seeds or cuttings of. It also means cacti that should never be collected from the wild due to harming their population.

Saxicola · Post by **Saxicola** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 5:54 am

There is a reason the plants that sell for hundreds of dollars on Ebay command such a price. Rarity is extremely important but that alone doesn't make a plant valuable. It also takes demand. If the plant is hard to propagate or slow growing that helps too because it keeps it rare in the trade.

For (non-succulent) example, Venus Flytraps are very rare in the wild. They only come from a small area near the coast along the North Carolina/South Carolina border and you can get in big trouble for taking them from the wild. Yet, I can go down to Home Depot and get one for five bucks. Why? Because it is easy to propagate so the supply in cultivation keeps up with demand, keeping the price low. Rare in the wild, high demand, but common in cultivation. Price stays low.

Another example, there is a very rare Dudleya that grows near my home. The entire range of the species (on Earth, not just in my area) is literally on rocky outcrops that occur within a roughly 4 mile x 2 mile area. If someone had plants of it (legally obtained seed of course, no digging!) and tried to sell it they'd be lucky to get $10 for it because so few people know about it, and while a cute plant, is pretty small and non-descript. In other words not one of the big, showy Dudleyas like D. brittonii. Rare in the wild, rare in cultivation, but no demand. Price stays low.

Ariocarpus fissuratus isn't all that rare in cultivation as seed and small plants, but big plants are rare. The species is desirable, but since small plants are common you can get them for under $20. A big $300 plant like that would take at least a 10-20 years under optimal conditions. That's why you don't come across them often and why when you do people will pay a lot of money. Sadly, Peterb is right and there is a very good chance that a big, old Ariocarpus for sale on Ebay was dug out of the wild. Rare in the wild, rare as big plants in cultivation, high demand. Price goes high.

tudedude · Post by **tudedude** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 8:13 pm

Here are some that tend to be more rare than others. Rare in terms of being a little to a lot more valuable in the open market. Of course size/age and whether grafted or on own roots will determine how rare and availble these plants are.

aztekium hintonii
aztekium ritteri
geohintonia mexicana
stombocactus disciformis
Discocactus Horstii
Frailia Castanea
Ariocarpus Trigonus
Uebelmannia buiningii
Pelecyphora aselliformis
Pelecyphora strobiliformis
mammillaria luethyi
Astrophytum Caput-medusa
lophophora (at least where it's illegal)
puna clavarioides
copiapoa cinerea

Post by **daiv** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 11:21 pm

You can see my estimation of the rarity of various species in one place by using the "Advanced Search" feature:

http://www.cactiguide.com/mastersearch/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Select one of the check boxes under the "Encounterability" heading and see what you get (don't check other things like a flower color or you will limit your results further)

I based the designations on the frequency that I encounter these plants in person (at shows, private collections, etc.), on the forum here and in e-mails, and doing website searches in general.

Of course my personal experience is not universal and I would be happy to change any that someone here might suggest.

Daiv

Post by **daiv** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 11:24 pm

post script!

I forgot to mention that the "encounterability" status is supposed to reflect cultivation globally - a difficult thing for sure, but NOT habitat. I came across some blog from some horse rancher in Texas that was saying I was crazy for having a particular Grusonia species marked as "Rare". This was because they grew all over their ranch. Obviously, if you live in the middle of the habitat of the most rare species, it isn't going to seem that rare to you.

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