It takes 80,000 flowers to harvest a mere 500 grams of spice. 5. of 8. Rotchschild's Orchid ($5,000 Per Plant) Dick Culbert / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0.

Currently, 500 grams (nearly 18 ounces) of 50-year-old chenpi costs about HKD 75,000 ... He takes the flesh out while the peels stay intact, resembling a three-petal flower.