Polka Dot plant has fuzz on potential new growth?

[FloraWitch]

Hey everybody.

So here's my issue: I have a small polka dot plant in a terracotta pot. Well, had? After I brought it home, things were great. It was cheery, and freckled, and growing great.

Then I neglected watering it for a while. It was pretty dried and sad, but I tried to water it fairly frequently and see if I could coax any life out of it.

I've clipped everything that was clearly beyond help and dead, but at the center mass of the plant, there seems like there might be a few young, new leaves? My biggest hold up is that they're covered in white fuzz. It's not fuzzy in a curly, soft lamb's-wool sort of way, it's more like peach fuzz, but more dense. It looks like there's soft, green growth under it, but I'm honestly not sure, and Google hasn't turned up anything useful.

Is this just new growth on a naturally "fuzzy" plant, or is it a lost cause?

[purpleinopp]

I would use the word fuzzy to describe new basal foliage on Hypoestes. Hopefully it's not mold from too much water, also possible. The latter would likely be deadly within a week, so you should know soon. It will either be bigger or crispy.