Hi Karen,
I don't have an answer to your first question but as to the seedling I had one that was like that though I don't remember if the seed leaves or the first true leaves were joined. It grew for a while and the leaves eventually formed into almost a cup shape. The stem was also much thicker then the normal seedlings. It didn't survive but hung around for quite a while. I also got a couple albino seedlings that eventually died. As for the jagged cuttings it sounds like someone might have just ripped branches off other people's trees. I have heard of people doing that then selling them on ebay.
Another Karyn

Thank you kindly for your input Karyn. That's too bad that your seedling didn't make it. Would be interesting to see if your seedling would have kept the cup shaped leaves ultimately. I was at Kimi's Plumeria here in SoCal talking to Beverly and she mentioned that she had a friend who had a tree that had "cobra head" shaped leaves. Apparently he had the tree for about 20 years before it finally bloomed. Hopefully I can keep this seedling alive long enough to see if it keeps the strange leaf trend and if it blooms.

As for the cuttings, I bought them from a newer ebay vendor that I had previously purchased 2 Puu Kahea cuttings. Those cuttings were cleanly cut. I have to say that I was a bit surprised to see how ragged the recent ones were. I supposed I can try growing them as is and if that doesn't work, cut them again? I really don't know how important it is to have them cleanly cut.

Karen R

I usually re-cut at a 45 degree angle and then let it harden for a week before starting. Use a grafting knife, razor knife or a very sharp knife to get a clean cut. bill

I actually have heard that people who got clean cuts to "break" the cutting to get a jagged edge...Supposedly, they had more success with the jagged edge instead of a clean edge. I personally, like a clean edge...Bill...why are 45 degrees?

Joe

I think I'll recut most of them then. I know that I have had success with the clean cuts before, I just didn't know if it made a difference. Plus a couple of these cuttings are on the small side...anyway, thanks Bill.

If I understand correctly, cutting at a 45 degree angle will broaden the rooting surface?

I may just experiment with a couple of cuttings the same size - leave one jagged and the other recut to see if there is a difference in how they root.

I also think that the 45 degree angle cut exposes more surface area for rooting.
Karyn

That's the reasoning I've heard for leaving the cuttings jagged too ;-) I guess if they want to root they will whatever they look like.

Suzanne

I also like the clean 45 degree angle cut, but once it's in the ground and you can't see it who's to know. Like kelpie473 said above " I guess if they want to root they will whatever they look like." I've seen quite a few with jagged or broken edges with roots growing from them. Good luck with your cuttings. You could always have them grafted also.

John

although I have had success both ways I have noticed that jagged edges seem to have more fungus problems. The roots usually come from the lowest edge and the 45 degree cut exposes the right amount of lower edge for max roots. You can also cut grooves through the outer layer running up to an inch up from the bottom which encourages roots to grow from there, too. All of these work to some degree. For me when I got to the point of starting over a hundred cuttings each year, I cut the fancy stuff and went back to the basics. Bill

Well...bad news. I took the cuttings over to Jack Morgan at Kimi's Plumeria this morning, he looked at the cuttings and told me that most of them were not suitable for rooting-(regardless of how the ends were cut) because they were too squishy, unhealthy and too small, as I feared they might be. Basically he told me that I need to contact the seller and let him know that they are unacceptable & get my money back. I have great respect for Jack's extensive knowledge in plumeria care and I trust his expertise, so I guess I will cut my losses with this lot. Thank you to everyone for your input. I do appreciate it! On a positive note, I did purchase a Morgan's Midnight Ruby from him that is gearing up to bloom! :)
Karen R.