to NGA
That looks like some kind of insect infestation. Do the spots wipe off? I also see something white. Can you describe the white things? Do they appear to be little cotton balls with tails?
I am thinking you have mealy bugs and sooty mold. The sooty mold develops on the excretment of the insects.
I often use full strength rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle when all else fails. But after you spray (whether insectidal soap or alcohol), you do need to wash the insects off and repeat the sprayings, often within the hour. Completely soak the plant and the root ball with insecticide then rinse in almost hot water. Keep it up until they stop appearing. You will have to repeat this every few days, whenever you spot new insects, until they disappear.
The sooty mold can be treated with a fungicide.
I am assuming mealybugs but if its something else, the same treatment will apply. But the thing with mealybugs is that they lay their eggs in very tiny places: the pores in terra cotta pots, the grain in wooden tables. I got rid of an infestation in a Zamia recently by dropping it, pot and all, into a 5 gallon bucket of beyers 3 in 1 for a couple hours. Two weeks and so far, no bugs.
If you have other plants, isolate this one. If you can't isolate it, I would think about how important it is - you may want to put it into a plasticc bag and toss it in the garbage.
Daisy
