Anyone know what this is? This is a friends plumie. It never leafed during the summer. It just continued with this weird growth.

I have never seen anything even close to this. It looks like it got blasted with radiation and is now producing dozens of tips. Perhaps Hetty will have seen this. Weird things happen in S. FL.

that is really weird looking but it looks like those weird looking growth will become tips???

I've never seen any like it.

They look like galls of some kind. Here's a site to scroll through: http://waynesword.palomar.edu/...

Could be, Kadie. I have simply never heard of such a thing related to the plumeria. We have mistletoe (on oak) and oak gall here and in fact I posted a picture of the oak gall several months ago.

Your image of your plumeria is the only image I could find online that matches what is happening to our Plumeria. Our tree is very large and I would hate to remove it. Did you ever find out what was wrong with your plant?

waterdawg19 said:Anyone know what this is? This is a friends plumie. It never leafed during the summer. It just continued with this weird growth.

Is there any chance a herbicide (you or a neighbor) could have been used... near enough to the trees for herbicide drift to have occurred? Or has a "weed and feed" type of a product been used on the lawn near the plant? It really has the appearance of herbicide damage but I have not seen it like this before.

If you really would like to rule out pathogens such as the bacterium that causes galls on Oleanders, Loropetalums and Olives, you could send a sample to a Plant Pathology Lab for testing, like the Texas A&M Plant Disease and Diagnostic Lab:

https://plantclinic.tamu.edu/f...

Check on the possibility of herbicide damage and let me know what you find.

I need help with some weird leaf growth on one of my Plumeria trees. Could this be the damage caused by the Leaf Hopper insect? I live in Southern California, Orange County and this just started happening this season. The tree has been nothing short of amazing for the past 10-11 years with no issues. It also has been exceptionally late to produce bracts and flowers from them.

Not an insect or a fungal problem here. Has there been any herbicide or perhaps something like a "Weed and Feed" product used in the last few months?

That is a toxic Pencil Cactus, Milkbush Latin: Euphorbia tirucalli to the right in your picture towering above your plumeria. It appears the cactus has a lot of new green growth bringing it up to the roofline. The Wikipedia link en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_tirucalli has a picture of the flower buds ironically appear similar to your new growth on the plumeria. Since the cactus has a highly toxic latex type sap, I wonder if it is affecting the plumeria's new growth - perhaps causing "tumors" or genetic changes? The link has a paragraph about the cancer type growths. If you stand back and observe your entire plumeria most of the odd growth is towards the cactus and the last of the "normal" looking plumeria growth is furthest away from the cactus.
The growth under the plumeria may be minor but clearing that out to give good airflow might be helpful. Similarly, black spot on roses is deterred by creating good airflow with strategic pruning. I am NOT suggesting pruning the plumeria. Increasing the airflow below the plummie helps avoid fungus and bacteria growth because water will not linger as much.

Welcome, @motherandteacher. Interesting stuff there. In all my decades of growing tropicals (and cacti), I've never heard of a plant causing "tumors" or genetic changes in another plant. I'm definitely not up on toxicology, huh?

I am having same problem as DTouchberry! I just posted pics in another thread and then saw his.

And I live in Southern California too!!!!! Orange county

I have several plumerias along my whole front yard. only this one (in the middle) is affected so far. Most of the plant is like this however. It is a well established 10ft tall, 10yr old tree, that came from one of the other plumerias in my yard.

I sure hope someone in the Southern CA area can help us out (lil_brp) too! Nervous about how it will affect my other healthy Plumeria next to this one.

Yea I got several, all close together...

I have not used any fertilizers, nothing that is any different from any other year. And the plumerias right next to it on either side are doing just fine.

I am calling nurseries etc trying to find an answer. If I do I'll post back here.

I sure hope someone in the Southern CA area can help us out (lil_brp) too! Nervous about how it will affect my other healthy Plumeria next to this one.

I wish I could help, but I'm in S. FL, not S. CA.

I would then get a cutting to your Agriculture Extension Service as soon as possible.

Thanks luis_pr, I will reach out to my local agency. If anyone else has any ideas, please let us know. Thanks.

Hi DTouchberry,

I have a possible solution. I talked to a bunch of people (all have different theories). the one I ended up going with was from a plumeria society.

They said it was caused by an insect, which by this point has left the plants (they hit apparently early spring).

They recommended treating with a 3 in 1 (made by bioadvanced now). I mixed up 5 gallon buckets of it, and gave it to all my plumerias, not just the one showing the wierd leaves.

I waited 3 days, and then soaked the plumeria with water (my plumerias never get any water at all).
A week later I soaked them really good again.

that plant is now growing normal looking leaves. The leaves that never formed stayed that way, but the new leaves coming out are all normal again.

what is the name of the insect?