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Daily Record
Daily Record
Lifestyle
Rachel Williams

Lidl and B&Q accidentally selling rare plants worth thousands for just £10

Shoppers with green fingers may want to check their plants if they purchased them from Lidl and B&Q as they may be sitting on a fortune.

The two retailers have accidentally been selling rare plants, which have been listed online for thousands of pounds, for much cheaper than they are worth.

Plants such as the Variegated Monstera Adansonii have been listed on eBay for a whopping £3,699, which is much less than than common £5 or £10 priced versions you will find in your local retailer.

Many supermarkets and DIY stores regularly have stands of plants for shoppers to pick up, but what they may not know is that small naturally occurring variations in common plants can make them extremely valuable.

Occasionally these rare variations develop unusual markings which are mistaken for diseases which leads to the shops selling them at a reduced price.

If you've taken up gardening in your spare time and have picked up a few plants, then these are the ones you want to keep an eye out for, according to My London.

Variegated Monstera Deliciosa

The Swiss Cheese Plant is the most common of all the plants (Getty images)

Perhaps the most common plant to find in any shop, the Monstera Deliciosa is more commonly known as a Swiss Cheese plant because of the holes in its leaves.

And while a regular green plant isn't worth much, a variegated monstera is very rare.

Some of these plants develop white markings on their stems and leaves, occasionally putting out a whole white leaf.

Because the signs can be subtle in young plants, shops often mix them up with the plain variety and sell them for a tenner.

Even a single branch of the plant could end up costing thousands, with Etsy's most expensive listed at £4,562.18.

And as little as a single five-inch stick sells on Facebook Marketplace for £1,399.

Spot the rare beauty by looking for white lines on the stems or a constellation-like pattern on the leaves.

Variegated Monstera Adansonii

Monstera Adansonii is a rare find among house plants (Getty images)

This plant is even more valuable compared to it's cousin, the Swiss Cheese Plant.

The plant usually develops white spots if they are not fed throughout the Winter which leads to supermarkets selling them off for much cheaper.

But these spots are easily confused with the beginnings of variegation, which has the same telltale white stripes on the stem as the Deliciosa.

These have been found selling for £3,699 on Ebay, while one leaf can be sold for £1,533.39 on Etsy.

Philodendron White Princess or White Knight

With over 400 species of Philodendron in the world, shops might struggle to differentiate between them.

And just like the Monsteras, there is a Philodendron with white leaves worth hundreds.

The Philodendron White Princess and White Knight look very similar, with glossy green leaves with white lines that might be mistaken for disease or damage by clueless shops.

We found some online shops selling these beauties for as little as £28 or £16.99, which is much less than what they are being sold for online.

On Etsy, they are going for as much as £4,216.82 for a White Knight and the White Princess is on sale on various sites for roughly £400.

Pink Princess Philodendron

The Pink Princess Philodendron is known for being stunning (Getty images)

This plant is very similar to the White Knight and White Princess, but it has pink spots which gives it its name.

The PPP is a gardeners dream because of how rare it really is and how stunning it naturally looks.

Because it can take a while for the variation to begin to show it can be mistakenly sold for much less.

A mature plant goes for as much as £2,228 on Etsy and a single leaf cutting could easily earn you £200.

Monstera Obliqua

This plant is arguably the most rare out of them all (Getty images)

Due to its fragile leaves being mistaken for pest damage, these plants are in fact the rarest out of them all.

The plant is generally for those who are huge fans of them because of how demanding they are, but anyone who is a fan of them will know how valuable they really are.

A single leaf is on sale on Etsy for £1,590 and on Ebay for £1,250.

Over on Facebook Marketplace, a small plant goes for £1,000.

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