Being mocked for carrying a leaf on the plane, the young man shocked everyone when he revealed its 'origin'

It turns out that the leaf the young man was holding had a very special "origin".

The leaf has a surprising "origin"

On August 4 at Shanghai Airport, China, a man named Do caused a stir among all the passengers present. Specifically, Mr. Do arrived at the airport with a suitcase and a giant leaf measuring 1.2m in height ^. After checking in his luggage, Mr. Do continued to hug the leaf and walk around the airport while waiting to board the plane. Not only did he hold the leaf tightly, but he also seemed to cherish it as if it were a precious item.

A young man clutches a giant leaf to his chest at Shanghai airport, China. (Photo: Sohu).

Everyone was surprised by Do's somewhat strange action. When passing through the security check area, Do continued to carry the leaf. According to the airport staff, Do had bought a separate plane ticket for his leaf. They also checked the leaf very carefully before Do brought it on the plane. Seeing this, many people mocked Do as a fool for being willing to spend a sum of money to buy a plane ticket just for a leaf and then "handle it like an egg, catch it like a flower" . Some people filmed Do wandering around the airport with the leaf in his hand and shared it on social networks.

Some people filmed the young man wandering around the airport with a leaf in his hand and posted it online to mock him. (Photo: Sohu)

Someone even told Mr. Do that what he was doing was really ridiculous. Seeing that, Mr. Do immediately stood in the middle of the airport and declared: "This leaf was given to me by a friend. He knows that I am a person who is very passionate about playing with ornamental leaves, especially rare plants. When I came to visit, he cut this leaf as a souvenir for me. I love it so much that I spent time and money to bring it home. There is nothing wrong with this because it is my money, I can do whatever I want as long as it does not affect anyone." After hearing these words, the whole airport immediately became quiet, everyone felt that these words were reasonable. Therefore, the whispers and gossips about Mr. Do stopped.

The leaf that the young man was hugging was worth between 165 million VND and more than 300 million VND. (Photo: Sohu).

Some netizens left comments below the videos sharing about Mr. Do that the leaf that the young man was holding was actually an extremely rare plant. It was an Anthurium Veitchii - King of Anthuriums . The price of a leaf of this plant can be up to 50,000 to 100,000 NDT (from 165,000,000 VND to more than 330,000,000 VND) , some leaves even cost up to a billion VND. After knowing this information, people were even more amazed at the "expensive" passion of the young man named Do.

What is so special about the Anthurium Veitchii plant that makes one of its leaves so expensive?

The "count leaves to pay" plant

Anthurium Veitchii,  also known as King Anthurium , is an epiphytic plant of the genus Anthurium. They originate from Colombia, South America. The characteristics of this plant are elongated leaves with many folds, the leaves can reach a size of 2m when the plant is mature. The market price in Vietnam for a plant with 2 to 3 small leaves 20cm long is about 5-6 million VND . For mature Anthurium Veitchii leaves, the price is quite expensive, ranging from 7,000-15,000 USD/leaf.

Anthurium Veitchii leaves can reach 2m in size when the plant is mature. (Photo: Internet).

This is a type of plant that is often referred to as "counting leaves to pay" because the number of leaves is proof of the time spent growing them and the effort the grower puts into them.

The scientific name of the plant Anthurium Veitchii is named after John Veitch, who first brought the plant to Europe in 1876. It is an epiphytic plant that grows on other trees in the wild.

Anthurium Veitchii is often referred to as the "money-making" plant. (Photo: Internet)

True leaf enthusiasts will immediately buy a King Anthurium to place with Queen Anthurium - a perfect pair. Anthurium Veitchii requires high humidity and cool temperatures like in the mountains. Scientists have tried to crossbreed other Anthurium species with this plant to create new generations with its folded leaf characteristics. Currently, there are 2 forms of this species recognized as purebred including Wide form and Narrow form . In addition, with individual selection, hybrid gardeners have also developed a new variant with tighter and thicker folds called Super Narrow form .

The flowers of the Anthurium Veitchii plant are not only beautiful but also have a pleasant fragrance. (Photo: Internet).

Correct humidity and temperature are the best ways to successfully care for the Anthurium Veitchii plant. This plant prefers temperatures between 16-26°C and a relative humidity of 70% .

The inflorescences of Anthurium Veitchii are pale blue or creamy white, if you find an Anthurium that closely resembles Anthurium Veitchii but the bracts of the inflorescence are red, pink, or peach then it is most likely a hybrid. Their stunning beauty is not limited to visuals; to the touch, these delicate flowers exude a pleasant fragrance, adding to the allure of the 'Anthurium King'.