If you haven't already, you should contact the seller and inquire about it. Since you say you have seen it on a few other plants from them, perhaps it's some kind of a contagious virus, fungus, or some such that is infecting their nursery. Doesn't look good.

Try spraying it with H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) and see if it clears it.
George

thanks for the input! George I'll try the hydrogen peroxide tonight to see if that helps at all.

DelWH, I have contacted the individual I got them from but have not yet heard back. They are a small private business so would think they would be more on top of selling infected plants than a larger business... but never know I suppose.

Will let ya know how it turns out with the peroxide... though i have to say, as far as weird plant things go... this one looks pretty crazy.. almost artsy (if it weren't likely destroying my plant!!!)

Rebecca,
Looks fungal to me, too, and, like George, I'd spray well a with H202 solution.

"...seems flush with the bark of the plant." I think that's good news. Should clear up with a peroxide application (multiple?) and some good air. Another option would be sulfur. If they're cuttings, I'd roll them in it - maybe spritz them with water beforehand to make good contact. Just be cautious when you start mixing chemicals. I think these are both fairly benign, but when you start mixing them... potentially more harm to you than the plants.

I've never seen anything like this before. either. Let us know how things work out.

Honestly, no seller should be selling any plants in this condition.
Gail

Yes, it looks like a mosaic almost.

Be careful to disinfect tools with H2O2 and alcohol if you cut it. Otherwise you might infect all of your plants. If it turns out to be mosaic get rid of it. It is contagous.

George

Sorry to all for the delayed follow up. Life got very busy and the plumeria took a little side seat :)

As an update, I tried the hydrogen peroxide and gave the plant a good scrub. It removed most of the odd coloration and I have not noticed any new growth. I will say I really had to scrub though and it took about 3 treatments.

The plant is currently dormant despite being in a well sunned window for winter... so I'll have to wait and see how she recovers as spring comes around and it warms up. Thanks to all for your ideas!

Hi Peg,

I received your email regarding this GW post. Sorry to her your plumeria is having some trouble!

In terms of details on what I did, I took regular household H2O2 purchased at walgreens and poured it over the affected areas of the plant stalk. I let it sit for a minute or two and then took a green scrub pad from the kitchen (those thin green scotch pads) and scrubbed the affected area.

I had to scrub reasonably hard, but you do have to be careful to avoid tearing the skin of the plumeria stalk (this probably depends to some extent on how old your plant is and how weathered)...

Some of the spots came off right away... others were more stubborn. For those I used a 2nd round (and 3rd for a few spots) of peroxide and focused on those areas.

Before putting the plant back I tried the stalk with a towl to make sure I removed any extra moisture and then put it by the window. Whole process took 15-20 minutes at most.

Not at expert on plumeria fungus so this may not have been the absolute perfect approach, but does seem to have worked. It has been 2 full months and I have not seen any re-growth of the fungus (or whatever it was).

My plant is still dormant but I see no signs that it is having any adverse affects as a result of the above treatment. Looks happy and healthy to me :)

Good luck and hope this information helps! Let me know how it turns out for you!

Rebecca

Thanks Rebecca, I scrubbed it down and it turned very green. I'm wondering if it is a lichen. I'll see what happens. I'll let you know how it turns out. Peg

I too have something similar but no pink to the color...just whitish blotches on 5 of my 145...I tried hydrogen peroxide 50/50 with water and used a cotton ball and did not see any difference. Does some of the rose sprays work on this ???? roxanne