Learning to tell your elephant ears from your flamingo flowers has become the latest virus lockdown escape in Malaysia, where houseplants are very much in season.

The pandemic lockdowns have fuelled interest in collecting potted plants in Malaysia
The pandemic lockdowns have fuelled interest in collecting potted plants in Malaysia AFP / Mohd RASFAN

Collectors are searching out specimens with intricate patterns in a dazzling array of reds, yellows and greens, and sharing their best on social media.

"It's like looking at a painting," collector Leiister Soon told AFP, admiring the broad-leaf caladium -- elephant ear plants -- at his Kuala Lumpur home.

The broad-leaf caladium -- elephant ear plants -- are known for their colourful leaves with intricate patterns
The broad-leaf caladium -- elephant ear plants -- are known for their colourful leaves with intricate patterns AFP / Mohd RASFAN

"Taking care of plants meant that I can divert my attention -- (it is) better than watching the number of Covid cases going up."

Once relatively cheap, prices of the broad-leaf caladium in Malaysia surged last year when lockdowns confined citizens to their homes
Once relatively cheap, prices of the broad-leaf caladium in Malaysia surged last year when lockdowns confined citizens to their homes AFP / Mohd RASFAN

The plants are known as "keladi" in the local Malay language, but the trend has grown to encompass other species, such as anthuriums -- known as flamingo flower, or laceleaf -- and alocasias, whose varieties include the silver dragon.

Once relatively cheap, prices surged last year when lockdowns confined Malaysians to their homes, and many collectors started posting images of their favourite plants on social media.

Malaysia first imposed curbs last year shortly after the start of the pandemic and had to implement restrictions again in January when a new wave hit
Malaysia first imposed curbs last year shortly after the start of the pandemic and had to implement restrictions again in January when a new wave hit AFP / Mohd RASFAN

While some still cost as little as 20 ringgit ($4.80), the rarest can now fetch up to 6,000 ringgit each.

Some of the rarest specimen of caladium plants can now fetch up to 6,000 ringgit ($1,400) each in Malaysia
Some of the rarest specimen of caladium plants can now fetch up to 6,000 ringgit ($1,400) each in Malaysia AFP / Mohd RASFAN

Soon says he spent more than 20,000 ringgit on plants in the past year alone.

"During the lockdown, people were at home thinking about how to beautify their homes," nursery owner Daud Kasim told AFP in Sungai Besar, 100 kilometres (60 miles) northwest of Kuala Lumpur.

"They could look at these plants -- and their stress would go away."

An avid collector himself, Daud said he started selling keladi plants in late 2018 but demand exploded during the pandemic.

Nearly half of his nursery's inventory is now made up of such plants, with foreign varieties from countries such as Thailand, China, the United States and the Netherlands.

Standing among thousands of potted specimens, Daud said the trend was here to stay, even as authorities gradually begin lifting restrictions.

Malaysia first imposed curbs last year shortly after the start of the pandemic and had to implement restrictions again in January when a new wave hit, but the outbreak is slowing.

Health authorities have reported more than 300,000 infections and over 1,000 deaths.

Coronavirus