This is a plumeria that I've had for over a year. It's bloomed and seemed very healthy, but it has some strange looking leaves. What's going on here?
strange looking leaves on plumeria
One of them is wrinkled and there is some spotting on another one. And here's another one that's really yellow. This was taken in the spring.
Hi Silver,
It looks like sap/honey dew left from white fly in the first picture. Do you have a white fly infestation? Are the leaves sticky to the touch? The second picture looks like old bottom leaves, my bottom leaves do the same thing as they get really old. Are those the oldest leaves on the plant? All my opinion.
Davie
Hi Davie. I haven't noticed any sap or sticky stuff. I haven't really touched them much because I was thinking it might be some kind of virus like hostas get that would spread through the sap. I haven't noticed any white flies either, although I used to have them in the greenhouse in winter when I had begonias. I figured out the problem and got rid of them and didn't have any last winter. That really yellow leaf did finally fall off, so maybe that's not a problem.
Did you notice the krinkled leaf? I forgot to mention that one. I have another leaf that is more krinkled, but it's dark now. I'll try to get a picture of it tomorrow.
Send the pick...
This is one of the krinkled ones.
This is one of the leaves that's just a funny color.
Thanks for reminding me. I'd forgotten to take a picture. I was supposed to take DD to Texas Tech today and had myself all psyched up for the trip and she told me last night she wasn't packed. So I'm a little derailed today.:)
No problem...I hope I didn't come across as rude...anyway the first leaf just looks like stress...a missed water, too much fertilizer, excessive heat...etc. The Second leaf looks like a chimera. Here is a link explaining what a Chimera is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimera_(genetics). I do not think that it is a virus because, from what I can see, the other leaves look normal. Is this correct?
Davie
Yes, I agree not a virus. The silver-looking effect could be created by mite damage. Mites are hard to see on the back on the leaves. The crinkled effect could also be from sucking insects like aphids, white flies, or mites, or it could just be stress as Davie said. You can pull off the affected leaves and treat the remaining ones with Neem in the evening when it is cool if you find mites on the backs of the leaves.
I agree also that the variegated leaf looks like a chimera. My dear friend in Thailand has found that certain leaf buds in a plant can contain a chimera. He propagated a cutting that I sent him by bud grafting, and that bud turned out to be a variegated plant. If I were you, I would mark that leaf bud and cut it out and graft it to a center cut root stock to create a totally new variegated plumeria.
Davie, your chimera link didn't take me anywhere much. Atleast not to anything that I understood.lol I have a very basic understanding of genetics.
I'm glad I don't have a virus going on here atleast. I'll look for mites etc. It's been a strange year for pests around here. I've seen very few of any kind. Usually there'll be atleast lots of aphids. This year I've hardly seen any sign of aphids, thrips, hole cutter bees, snails. And almost no mosquitoes .
Clare I'm not sure what you mean by grafting "to a center cut root stock." I haven't done any grafting, but I understand the idea. I'm not sure how to single out a center cut root stock.