EBAY is unbelievable

[metalfan]

I have a lovely, very nice sized Anthurium superbum that I have had for several years. Its really getting some size on. I had never thought that it was in any way all that valuable, although, when I think about it, like the A. pedatoradiatum, I've never seen one for sale anywhere I have gone, even in South FL.

My specimen came from a friend who gave it to me as a gift.

There is one on EBAY now, Item NUmber 330161019789 by seller gypsytropicals from Hawaii, that is currently up to $133.50 for the eentsiest tiniest plant I have ever seen. I mean, its pretty microscopic. That is just unbelievable to me.

ANyone else have a Superbum? You have a gold mine if you do.

[eastern.nurseries]

Gina, You just need to know where to shop and it's not on ebay.

[Walter John]

ANyone else have a Superbum?

No, but you should see my corm, it's a humdinger !!  

[metalfan]

Jon,

I don't buy a whole lot from eBay. I used to SELL on eBay, though, and I still pop in and look at stuff from time to time, just for fun.

Most of the plants I buy, I buy at sales like the Fairchild Garden, Marie Selby, perhaps from Tropiflora in Sarasota, and I have gone "nursery hopping" in So FL a couple times...Jesse Durkos, a few others. I also buy stuff once in a great while from Enid at Natural Selections Exotics.

I almost never buy from eBay, but its fun to look at what othe rpeople are paying for stuff, so that you can laugh at them :laugh:

[The Germinator]

Thats funny, I just did some quick homework and found some in about 2 minutes for 2 bucks a plug. I also found another one on ebay that closed for $102.00.  

You know what I am doing tonight.

[metalfan]

Yeah you can get them in TC I imagine, but I get email after email after email from people (mainly in Indonesia) asking me to sell mine of send them seeds. They are interested mainly in my Anthurium superbum and Anthurium reflexinervium, but also have wanted my A. plowmanii, A. regale, A. gracilis.....

Of course none of mine are for sale, but these emails have gotten so numerous I have had to start blocking these guys individually.

They get my email from Gardebweb, where I have my plant inventory posted (in the form of a tradelist)

[tipper55]

I buy and sell on eBay. It's just like any other auction, some people have a limit in their mind what they will spend and others get caught in the frenzy that "they gotta have it". If you've ever been to a live auction especially government ones, you see people paying outrageous prices for some things.

Hey, I think it's great that a seller can get that much money for their plant. If yours ever set seed, put 'em on eBay, sounds like it could be easy money!

[metalfan]

Here is my Superbum...its not HUGE, leaves are probably 12-14 inches, but the one going for over $100 on eBay has leaves only about an inch or 2 long!!!!

[XYZ]

Ummmm...

Very, very nice Anthurium willifordii there, mf.

They are closely related and both from parts of the Río Napo, but they are quite distinct (willifordii usually has these characteristic concave leaf blades) Your plant, IMO, is about as big as it's going to get. This sp. does not develop the very large, glossy, bullate leaves of the other sp. mentioned.

SJ

[Palmarum]

eBay has its advantages as well as disadvantages. It's really up to the buyer to know how much they want to spend and they should stick to that. I buy and search on eBay quite a bit and people do over spend like crazy. Sellers on eBay don't always stay perfect either. I bought a $200.00 gold coin off eBay for $15.00 because it was listed in the wrong category. In regards to plants, some buyers live in areas where there is no access to garden centers or nurseries. They can only buy plants online and have no local supply to compare prices to. Then there is also the buying fanatic who has no limit on funds and will bid whatever it takes to get what they want. For quite a few plants on eBay, you know they will be listing more in the future. For any I bid on, like Plumeria for instance, I bid the minimum. If I get outbid I just wait until it gets listed again.

Ryan

[metalfan]

So its not Superbum??????

Well DARN!

Let me look up wilfordii!

[tipper55]

Oh no, that poor bidder on eBay on the superbum is about to be outbid!  

[metalfan]

Wahhhh SJ I think you are right, mine more closely matches willfordii than superbum!

I will change its tag and start looking (in the future when those TC plants get out there, LOL) for Superbum.

[aussiearoids]

Supposed to be very difficult to get seed set on superbum , this plant belongs to a lovely little old lady , who did get seed set once many years ago . She has a very impressive collection of Alocasias as well   .

Seen some superbum get sold on ebay in Oz for a very reasonable Au$30 or so for plants with 20 cm leaves .

[Gbarce]

Hi Michael.

That plant still looks like a Willirodii.  Willifordiis have a velvetty surface and Superbum is thicker leafed and has a matt finish.

I have both varieties and here in my tropical climate the Willifordii is having a hard time growing here I think they thrive better in temperate climates,

Vendors here are telling me that there is a "global shortage" of Anthurium Superbum and the Thais and Indonesians who visit here are scoopong them up for ridiculously high prices.  Like a large plant that would normally sell at P5000 are going at something like P45,000!!! thats about US$900!!!! its crazy!

Another variety that they are going crazy for but not as badly is Antherium 'Gemini'

[Gbarce]

Superbum at the back willifordii at the back

Willifordii likes colder temeratures than what we have in manila I think

[Gbarce]

Front of leaf Superbum

[XYZ]

Michael:

Survived Felix OK, thanks. I agree with gb that your plant is also a willifordii. Anthurium superbum has a very glossy upper leaf surface, is markedly bullate and gets rather large for a member of this group. The leaves are also (normally) more deeply violet-colored on the undersurface. One of the things that does complicate matters a bit is that there was, to my knowledge, at least one cross between A, superbum and A. willifordi done in the lates 90s and the plants were released into the So. Florida market about 6-7 years ago. Depending on how close the progeny resembled the parent in the hybrid, that's how people tag them. Interestingly enough, both spp. still have a reputation for being tricky in cultivation.

BRgds,

Jay

[Gbarce]

Front of Leaf Willifordii

[Gbarce]

Back of leaf Superbum

[Gbarce]

Back of Leaf Willifordii - is marron at some angles and has a velvet texture

[Gbarce]

Leaf tip Superbum - rounder

[Gbarce]

Leaf Tip Willifordii - pointed and sharper tip

[Gbarce]

If you are interested to see more I put up a post on the travelogues : "trip to the local plant show in Manila" and took a lot of plant pictures including these anthuriums that people are paying crazy sums of money for over here.

[XYZ]

Gene:

A. willifordii is known only from the lower Río Napo. It was originally collected at the Explorama Lodge near Iquitos, Perú and I have seen it on the Napo side of the Allpahuayo-Mishana Reserve in the same general area. Apparently it has also been collected in SE Ecuador over the past couple of years. This is about as tropical as it gets ;^)... The common form of superbum also comes from the upper Napo on the Ecuador side. You'll find that when superbum is grown in heavy shade, older leaves are a very deep violet on the undersides. Certainly there is more variation amongst cultivated plants of this sp. and reflexinervium than willifordii.

I suggest that both your pots are too big for these particular spp. They should be rootbound to do well. You can easily grow willifordii to maturity in a 10 cm (4") pot. I only transplant them when new leaves no longer increase or maintain size and vigor. Best media for both is shredded treefern fiber and chipped charcoal. Obviously, this setup means extra attention to watering.

Cheerio,

Jay

[metalfan]

OKay now WAIT!!!!!!!!

My plant (pictured earlier) has NO MAROON on the underside of the leaves. It does have a very tiny bit of purple color in the margins of the leaves.

So to the best of all of your knowledge, which do you think mine is, and WHY?

Mine is not really glossy, it is more matte finish on the leaves.

Do you think mine night be the cross between the 2??

[XYZ]

mf:

No, for sure it's willifordii. Both spp. develop violet abaxials when grown under "natural conditions". and both will lose this color when they have higher than normal light and/or N. Likewise and depending on conditions the normally "concave" leaf or willifordii often reverts to the normally "convex" leaf of superbum.

Gene's photos illustrate the differences superbly, but for more evidence here is an old pic of my A. superbum (shade), grown from seed from a wild-collection made in the mid-nineties (yes, yes...its pot is ALSO too big).

         

Jay

[Redland]

I thought one of the Identifying features of surperbum was the silver, metallic, matted leaves, no?

[Gbarce]

Stone Jaguar - thanks for the advise on the potting- I never knew that .   I use just shredded fern chips as the medium and then I sprinkle somecompost on top and just water it down.  Is that good practice?  

I am still guessing my way around these plants.

You have a nicely grown superbum there.  I notice the variation of the leaf  too - its sort of paddle shaped.  mine is more spade shaped.