Kinabalu National Park in Sabah, Malaysia—named for Borneo’s largest mountain, Mount Kinabalu—is home to many unique species of carnivorous plants and orchids. Only one of these plants, however, can be called the “Gold of Kinabalu”—the most expensive orchid in the world.
Also known as Rothschild’s Slipper, P. rothschildianum is an endangered species of orchid that can take up to 15 years to flower. This rare orchid can be identified by its petals, which it holds horizontally in up to six large flowers.
The world’s most expensive orchid can be seen in a fenced off area of Kinabalu National Park. If you’d like to see it, though, you’ll want to go during its peak flowering season in April and May. A single stem of P. rothschildianum can be worth $5,000.
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Wow you mean they cut it!
those flowers look nasty.
how iwish that i have it
Looks like a penis to me.
Truth: Orchid is derived form the greek Orchis, which means testical. A penis is close, though.
This story is bogus. These are readily available in Tissue Culture from orchid growers. I bought one several years ago for $40. There is no reason (and it is illegal) to collect wild plants of this species: T/C has made them available to anyone who wants them. They are a bit tricky to grow for a Paph, and I killed mine in about a year.
Mmmm If you pay by per plant, it will have to be Paph. sanderianum. Most blooming size average between $500-1000 and awarded clones can go as high as $25,000. BTW the picture is not a true rothchildianum.