It looks to be root rot. It shouldn't have mattered if part of the stem was buried or not. But the soil surrounding the root mass looks really wet. You still can save the plant by cutting off all the rotted parts at the bottom of the stems and rooting the healthy stems. You need to let the cuts heal for a few days so that they wont rot again. Jade is a succulent, so it doesn't need water constantly, the soil needs to dry out between waterings or the roots will rot. When the cut has healed/dried out put them in soil BUT don't water the soil at all, keep it dry but you can mist it. once your stems show signs of rooting then you can water it. but not too much and let the soil go dry still. Also, don't let them be in full sun, they will burn.

It looks alot like a pindo. Its got the leaves of a feather palm. I'm 100% sure that its not a fan palm, because its leaves don't match a fan palm. If it was a fan palm it would have single narrow leaves at first, and then the top of the leaves would have teeth that looks like a hand saw when young, and split in several areas when producing true leaves, and instead yours has a V in the center of the leaf, which I find easy to Identify a feather palm from a fan palm, it is the same way in all palms. Its got a trunk of a pindo. Its also producing several leaves at once, and that is one thing pindos do, and you should get true feather leaves soon. Lee

Here's an update from me! 1.Bulbous Bonanza Iris-Candy Apple and Daylily Avis Jean - JAYEANNE - shipped today 2. Naturally Native - Spicebush, Black Cohosh and Virgin's Bower seedlings - PEGGY - waiting for cooler temps 3. 6 issues of Better Homes and Gardens magazine - VINA - shipped today Shirley, I think your bird is a Yellowlegs, and I lean towards the Lesser Yellowlegs. Love the photo of your daughters, Heidi! Shirley, I received your magazines today! Yay!! I did not receive your email. BOO!!! I am jealous of the Giant Swallowtails gracing the gardens of Shirley and Ruth! That's so exciting.

"Doesn't have a knob on top, but sure it's not just a glass dome to put over something for display" Just curious why you are sure it's not a dome to put over something to display? Glass cloches usually have some sort of knob or handle to lift them up and set them down. Not to have a handle or knob usually indicates it's to be set down and left there. Is the glass thin and delicate or heavy and thick? Garden cloches are rather dense and heavy of course, or they'd be smashed directly just by using them. The only other option than display dome would be a specialty item it would be hard to guess at. For instance, I have a similar glass 'dome', blown to hold a pillar candle when inverted, and nestled in a wrought iron cradle suspended from a chain. The glass is very thin and delicate. My guess, unless you have a better description of it, is also some sort of display dome.