Cuttings (leaf) Many plants can be propagated from leaf cuttings. The pivotal point is whether or not the propagule is capable of forming adventitious buds, which are buds that form on plant parts other than leaf axils. A leaf axil is the crotch formed by the leaf stem (petiole) and the branch/ trunk/ stem it is attached to. Some plants have groups of cells that descend directly from embryonic cells engaged in meristematic activity. These cell groups can differentiate into buds/shoots from foliar embryos that formed as the leaf was forming. More commonly though, wound-induced secondary meristems can form when existing tissues already acting as part of an organ dedifferentiate into NEW meristematic regions (de novo regeneration), then redifferentiate into new organs (buds). If you want to be fairly certain that you'll be successful in your cloning attempts, make sure you include a latent or actively growing axillary bud, which would be located just distal to (above) where the leaf is attached to the stem. The downside to propagating from stem cuttings with a singular leaf in water is that often the bud is destroyed by rot, and/or, the type of root tissue that forms in water is physiologically very different from root tissue that forms in a solid, well-aerated medium. This difference is made manifest in the water-formed roots being very poor at taking up water from a solid medium, along with the fact that water roots are very delicate, almost brittle. As such, they handle the transition from water to soil poorly. Many leaf cuttings will readily produce roots to form 'blind cuttings', which means they are incapable of forming the adventitious buds which are a prerequisite to shoot formation on any cutting that does not include a node and an axillary bud. It is not essential that a leaf be attached to the propagule, as axillary buds are located distal to (above) the leaf and the scar left behind where a leaf was once attached. I don't know if your plant is one such, but if it lives on and on w/o forming a stem, you'll at least know the reason. To reiterate, it's best to bring an existing node with an axillary bud along for the ride or be ready for a disappointment. Blind cuttings can live for years, but eventually they collapse for no conspicuous reason. Al

I do not have any heucheras and would like to start growing some. Sounds like I may be able to start some plant with leaves that you have, unless it's better to dig up small ones already rooted. Would anyone like to trade? A couple of leaves or babies from a few of your favorites in exchange for what I have. I have aloe pups, agave pups, white and orange butterfly gingers, baby pink calla lilies, baby passion flower vine (color unknown, 12" long), dendrobium kingianum orchid, goji berry seeds, miniature morning glory seeds (pink, blue, orange).

Sometimes you see people posting when a new stem grows out of these rooted leaves, and sometimes they proudly say, "See! These CAN grow into a plant!" Truth is, they can only grow into a viable plant if at least a small bit of what's called meristem happens to be attached to the petiole. Meristem contains cells than can turn into stem and other plant parts, with some nudging by hormones and other plant-produced chemicals. These cells are basically stem cells that can start quickly dividing and so lead to the plant growing. If they are not present, no amount or nurturing is going to help, as the plant (the leaf) does not "know" how to grow a new growing stem point and does not have the means for it, so it just sits there growing roots, the only thing it knows how to do. Come to think of it now, I wonder why those valentine leaf farms do not deliberately include a tiny bit of stem under the ground on the leaf - to surprise future growers with a shoot more likely happening. I guess cutting is two seconds more time-consuming (you're not simply snipping off the leaf anymore), and with larger area of the cut there is a(n insignificantly) higher probability of infection... But if they did that, I might even be ok with them charging $12 for it. Maybe. Do leaves regrow in the same node if you snip them off, I wonder? If they do, the producers might not be including the stem because they do not want to cut into it and have to wait longer for the new leaves.

I have written about how to propagate fiddle leaf fig here- https://www.apieceofrainbow.com/fiddle-leaf-fig/ I rooted 4 stem cuttings and 1 leaf, shown above. the leaf did not survive, but i think it is because of competition- i planted it in the same pot as 2 other stem cuttings, which grew rapidly. the african violet leaves i rooted has grown into plants. what happens is that small bud will grow from the roots and turn into branches. i think FLF works the same =) https://www.apieceofrainbow.com/grow-african-violet/