Your grandma’s cozy Iowa home might be hiding treasures more valuable than you ever imagined. Those leafy green plants sitting on her windowsills and shelves could actually be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars to collectors.
Many rare houseplants have skyrocketed in value over recent years, turning ordinary living rooms into botanical goldmines.
1. Variegated Monstera Deliciosa
Collectors go absolutely wild for this stunning plant with its creamy white and green marbled leaves. A single cutting can sell for over $1,000 depending on the amount of variegation present.
Grandma probably got hers decades ago when nobody realized how special they were. The unique pattern happens naturally through a genetic mutation that makes each leaf one-of-a-kind.
If she’s kept it alive all these years in Iowa’s climate, that shows serious green-thumb skills worth celebrating.
2. Philodendron Pink Princess
With leaves splashed in bubblegum pink against deep green, this philodendron became an Instagram sensation. Prices soared to $200 or more for just a small plant during peak demand.
Your grandma might have picked one up at a local Iowa garden center years before the social media craze hit. The pink coloring comes from a lack of chlorophyll in certain leaf sections.
Keeping the pink vibrant requires just the right amount of light and care.
3. Hoya Carnosa Compacta
Often called the Hindu Rope Plant, this hoya features thick, twisted leaves that look like green ropes hanging down. Mature specimens with long vines can fetch several hundred dollars from eager buyers.
Grandmas everywhere seem to have a knack for keeping these slow-growing beauties thriving for decades. The waxy leaves store water, making them forgiving if you forget to water occasionally.
When it blooms, the fragrant star-shaped flowers smell absolutely heavenly.
4. Anthurium Clarinervium
Heart-shaped velvety leaves with striking white veins make this anthurium a showstopper. Rare varieties can command prices between $100 and $500 depending on size and health.
Originally from Mexican rainforests, these plants adapted surprisingly well to Iowa homes with proper humidity. Grandma may have misted hers regularly or kept it near her kitchen sink for moisture.
The dramatic foliage looks almost too perfect to be real, like nature’s artwork.
5. Alocasia Azlanii
Sometimes called Red Mambo, this alocasia displays leaves that shimmer with metallic purple, pink, and copper tones. Plant collectors have paid upwards of $300 for healthy specimens of this Malaysian beauty.
The iridescent quality changes depending on how light hits the leaves throughout the day. If your grandma has one thriving in Iowa’s dry winter air, she deserves major props.
These tropical plants typically need extra humidity and warmth to truly flourish indoors.
6. Monstera Adansonii Variegata
Known affectionately as the Swiss Cheese Vine, this climbing plant features natural holes and white variegation. A well-established plant can easily sell for $500 or more to serious collectors.
The combination of fenestrations and variegation makes each vine absolutely mesmerizing to watch grow. Grandma might have trained hers up a moss pole or let it trail from a hanging basket.
Either way, the cascading effect creates living art on any wall or corner.
7. Philodendron Gloriosum
Velvety heart-shaped leaves with bold white veins crawl along the soil as this philodendron grows. Mature plants with multiple leaves regularly sell for $150 to $400 in the collector market.
Unlike climbing philodendrons, this one prefers to creep horizontally across its pot. Your Iowa grandma probably repotted it into progressively wider containers over the years.
The soft texture of the leaves makes you want to gently touch them every time you walk by.
8. Stephania Erecta
Looking like something from a fairy tale, this plant grows delicate round leaves on thin stems from a potato-like caudex base. Specimens with large caudexes have sold for $200 or more during the houseplant boom.
The unusual growth pattern makes it a conversation starter in any Iowa home. Grandma might have thought it looked quirky when she first bought it at a plant sale.
Now that quirky little plant could help fund a nice vacation or special purchase.
9. Syngonium Albo Variegata
Arrow-shaped leaves splashed with creamy white variegation give this syngonium serious collector appeal. Well-variegated plants have commanded prices around $100 to $300 depending on how much white appears on the foliage.
Originally a common houseplant, the variegated version became highly sought after recently. Your grandma’s plant might have spontaneously developed variegation, which sometimes happens naturally.
Those random genetic surprises turn ordinary plants into extraordinary treasures worth serious money.
10. Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma Variegata
Often mistaken for a baby monstera, this fast-growing climber with white variegation became incredibly valuable. A single rooted cutting with good variegation could fetch $150 or more at peak popularity.
The split leaves develop as the plant matures, creating an elegant tropical look perfect for Iowa homes. Grandma probably loved how quickly it grew compared to her slower-growing plants.
That speedy growth means more cuttings to share or potentially sell to interested buyers.
11. Begonia Maculata Wightii
Polka dot patterns dance across the angel-wing shaped leaves of this stunning begonia. While not extremely rare, well-established specimens with lots of canes can sell for $75 to $150.
The silvery spots against deep green with crimson undersides create incredible visual interest. Iowa grandmas often kept these on bright kitchen windowsills where they’d bloom with delicate pink flowers.
Regular pinching encourages bushier growth and even more of those gorgeous spotted leaves everyone admires.
12. Scindapsus Pictus Exotica
Silvery splashes shimmer across the heart-shaped leaves of this elegant trailing plant. Large, full specimens have sold for $80 to $200 as demand for unusual pothos relatives increased dramatically.
The satin-like texture gives it the nickname Satin Pothos, though it’s actually a different genus entirely. Grandma’s might cascade beautifully from a macrame hanger she made herself decades ago.
That combination of vintage charm and modern plant trends creates something truly special and valuable.