The Most Expensive Flowers in the World

Short answer: the most expensive flower in the world is the Kadupul, because it cannot be bought at any price: it blooms for a single night and wilts before sunrise. Among flowers that have actually changed hands, the record usually cited is the Shenzhen Nongke orchid, which reportedly sold for about 200,000 US dollars in 2005. The Juliet rose is famous for its development cost of around 3 million pounds.

Flowers have always been considered one of the most romantic gifts you can give a loved one. Flowers are essential for many reasons. Absolutely every holiday or any other event has a special place for flowers - it is an integral part of the event, allowing it to make it more memorable and enjoyable.

There are quite a few varieties of flowers in the world. The rarer the flower, the more expensive and valuable the gift presented. If you want to impress someone with a beautiful bouquet, you should not buy a too cheap flower. Still, the following list of the most expensive flowers in the world considerably extends the financial limits far beyond a simple gesture aimed only to please the recipient.

We suggest you read the top 6 most expensive flowers in the world. The cost of some may be estimated at thousands of dollars, while others may be completely priceless.

What Is the Most Expensive Flower in the World?

The answer depends on what "expensive" means. Some flowers are priceless because they cannot be cut or sold; others set records at auction; and some are expensive simply because they are rare, slow to grow or hard to transport. The ranking below covers all three, from the Kadupul to saffron, which is costly because of the work it takes to harvest.

Flower	Why it is so valuable	Typical figure quoted
Kadupul	Blooms one night, cannot be sold	Priceless
Juliet rose	15 years of breeding by David Austin	About £3 million development cost
Shenzhen Nongke orchid	Bred over 8 years, blooms every 4–5 years	About $200,000 (2005 auction)
Gold of Kinabalu orchid	Rare wild orchid, slow to flower	Up to about $6,000 per stem
Saffron crocus	Three stigmas per flower, picked by hand	Hundreds to thousands of dollars per pound of spice

Kadupul Flower Price

There is no Kadupul flower price, because the flower cannot survive being picked. This night-blooming cactus, Epiphyllum oxypetalum, opens around midnight and fades by dawn, so the only way to "own" one is to grow the plant and wait for it to bloom.

Kadupul Flower (Priceless)

Kadupul boldly takes the palm and leads our rating of the most expensive flowers. It is a unique flower that grows in the territory of Sri Lanka. It can also be found in some parts of India. Kadupul is a flower from the cactus family. It blooms exclusively at night. Its main feature is that it emits a charming fragrance. The uniqueness of the flower is that it lives only a few hours after being picked and blooms only at night, which makes it very difficult to transport and sell.

Juliet Rose (~$15,800,000)

The creator of the featured flower is David Austin. He spent about 15 years growing the beautiful Juliet Rose. The flower was presented in 2006 in Chelsea. The rose is often said to have sold for $15,800,000, but what is documented is its development cost of about 3 million pounds, reported when it debuted at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2006. This one is the most expensive rose in the history of the world.

Shenzhen Nongke Orchid (~$200,000)

This type of orchid is one of the most unique in the world. It is an artificially created flower by a Chinese research team. Experts from Shenzhen Nongke University worked on this plant. It was in honour of the represented educational institution that the orchid was named. The cultivation of the flower took eight long years, during which the scientists bred the variety and monitored its growth. The orchid is unusual and rare because it blooms only once every 4 or 5 years. The high cost of the plant is due to its rarity, quite a difficulty in growing, and beauty.

The bouquet consisted of orchids, lilies, moonflowers, and the root of a 100-year-old ficus (~$125,000)

Strange as it may seem, the next place in our ranking went to an incredible wedding bouquet that beat all sorts of rates for similar floral arrangements of all time. The bouquet used white lilies, orchids, lily flowers, and the root of a 100-year-old ficus. The high cost of that one is due not only to the combination of rare flowers but also to the fact that the composition also included a ruby weighing 2 carats, 9 diamonds weighing 1 carat, and a star ruby weighing 21.9 carats. The floral and jewellery arrangement's total value is about $125,000. Now, this bouquet is in the Ruby Plaza showroom in Vietnam.

Gold Of Kinabalu Orchid (~$6,000)

The next place in the ranking went to the Gold of Kinabalu Orchid. It is a unique and endangered species that grows only in one place in the world - in Malaysia, the Kinabalu National Park (where the name of the plant came from). Only one stem of this orchid costs 6000 dollars. Such a high price is not only due to the plant's rarity but also because it takes years to flower. As for the blooming period, it occurs from April to May - less than two months a year.

Saffron Crocus (~$1,500)

Many spice lovers have at least once heard the word saffron. But this word means more than just a spice. This spice is extracted from the stigma of a flower called saffron crocus. This plant is grown chiefly in Iran, but is also harvested in Italy, France, Spain and some parts of India. The high cost of the spice is that it takes about 80,000 flowers to extract 500 grams of saffron. The saffron crocus is a relatively rare and inexpensive flower considering the above options. Even so, it rounds out our ranking of the most expensive plants.

To sum up, certain flowers are precious because of their scarcity and appearance. The most expensive flowers include the abovementioned examples, worth thousands to millions of dollars. Additionally, saffron derived from the saffron crocus flower is highly prized. Investing in these flowers could be worthwhile, and incorporating them into a special occasion could add a distinctive touch.

The Most Expensive Flowers for Bouquets

The record holders above are almost never seen in a florist's shop. In real bouquets, price depends on rarity, season and how many stems are used. The flowers that most often make a bouquet expensive are lily of the valley, especially out of season; peonies outside their natural spring season; fragrant garden roses; large cymbidium orchids; and simply very large quantities of premium roses.

Luxury Flowers in Dubai

Dubai has one of the strongest luxury gifting cultures in the world, and flowers are part of it. Here, the most impressive bouquets are usually measured in quantity and presentation rather than in a single rare bloom: 100 roses in one arrangement, rose boxes, and preserved roses that last for months. For a statement gift, explore our luxury flower bouquets, 100 roses, rose boxes or the Forever Rose collection.

Most Expensive Flowers FAQ

What is the most expensive flower in the world?

The Kadupul is considered priceless because it blooms for one night and cannot be picked or sold. The most expensive flower actually sold is usually said to be the Shenzhen Nongke orchid, at about $200,000.

How much did the Juliet rose cost?

David Austin spent about 15 years and roughly 3 million pounds developing the Juliet rose. The $15.8 million figure often seen online is a widely repeated claim rather than a documented sale price.

Can you buy a Kadupul flower?

No. The Kadupul wilts within hours of blooming, so it cannot be cut, shipped or sold. You can only grow the plant.

What is the most expensive flower bouquet?

Bouquets become expensive through rare flowers, out-of-season stems and sheer volume. In Dubai, arrangements of 100 or more premium roses are among the most popular luxury bouquets.