''Aucuba'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of three to ten species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s, now placed in the family

Garryaceae Garryaceae is a small family of plants known commonly as the silktassels.Garryaceae.
Flora o ...

, although formerly classified in the Aucubaceae or

Cornaceae The Cornaceae are a cosmopolitan family of flowering plants in the order Cornales. The family contains approximately 85 species in two genera, ''Alangium'' and ''Cornus''. They are mostly trees and shrubs, which may be deciduous or evergreen, alt ...

. ''Aucuba''

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

are

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to eastern Asia, from the eastern

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

east to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The name is a latinization of

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

''Aokiba''. They are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s or small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s 2–13 m tall, similar in appearance to the laurels of the genus ''

Laurus ''Laurus'' () is a genus of evergreen trees or shrubs belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The genus contains three or more species, including the bay laurel or sweet bay, ''L. nobilis'', widely cultivated as an ornamental plant and a cul ...

'', having glossy, leathery leaves, and are among the shrubs that are mistakenly called

laurels ''Laurus nobilis'' is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, Glossary of botanical terms#glabrous, glabrous (smooth) leaves. It is in the flowering plant family Lauraceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region and is used as ...

in gardens."With characteristic perversity, we deny the name of laurel to the only member of that genus that we cultivate—''

Laurus nobilis ''Laurus nobilis'' is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glabrous (smooth) leaves. It is in the flowering plant family Lauraceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region and is used as bay leaf for seasoning in cooking. I ...

''—which we call the Bay, and bestow it on a number of totally unconnected shrubs", observes Alice M. Coats. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are opposite, broad lanceolate, 8–25 cm long and 2–7 cm broad, with a few large teeth on the margin near the apex of the leaf. Aucubas are

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

, having separate male and female plants.

Flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are small, 4–8 mm diameter, each with four purplish-brown petals; 10-30 are in loose cymes.

Fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

are red

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...

s about 1 cm in diameter.Flora of China Vol. 14 Page 222, 桃叶珊瑚属 tao ye shan hu shu, ''Aucuba'' Thunberg, Nov. Gen. Pl. 3: 61. 1783.
/ref>

Cultivation

Sowing Seeds. Clean the outer fleshy pulp from the seeds, which may be sown as soon as the fruit ripens (in the autumn). Can be planted in pots. Soil should be sandy and around 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit. Cuttings. Perhaps the best way to propagate is by taking cuttings in the spring. Cuttings will grow roots in a few weeks. Where to Plant. Aucubas may be planted outside but starting in zone 6 plants should be kept in sheltered locations. Does well beneath trees as it thrives in shade and dry areas. No special feeding is required and plants tend to grow into desirable bush shapes with very little pruning. For the best crop of drupes, plant a male plant among every six female plants.

Species

Three species (''A. chinensis, A. himalaica, A. japonica'') have traditionally been accepted, but the recent ''Flora of China'' and the Kew World ChecklistKew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> accept ten species: # ''Aucuba albopunctifolia''. Southern China. Shrub to 2–6 m tall. # '' Aucuba chinensis''. Southern China, Taiwan, Myanmar, northern Vietnam. Shrub to 3–6 m tall. # ''Aucuba chlorascens''. Southwest China (Yunnan). Shrub to 7 m tall. # ''Aucuba confertiflora''. Southwest China (Yunnan). Shrub to 4 m tall. # '' Aucuba eriobotryifolia''. Southwest China (Yunnan). Small tree to 13 m tall. # '' Aucuba filicauda''. Southern China. Shrub to 4 m tall. # '' Aucuba himalaica''. Eastern Himalaya, southern China, northern Myanmar. Small tree to 8–10 m tall. # ''

Aucuba japonica ''Aucuba japonica'', commonly called spotted laurel, Japanese laurel, Japanese aucuba or gold dust plant (U.S.), is a shrub () native to rich forest soils of moist valleys, thickets, by streams and near shaded moist rocks in China, Korea, and Jap ...

''. Southern Japan, southern Korea, Taiwan, southeast China (Zhejiang). Shrub to 4 m tall. # '' Aucuba obcordata''. Southern China. Shrub to 4 m tall. # '' Aucuba robusta''. Southern China (Guangxi). Shrub.

References

External links

Images
Flavon's art gallery {{Taxonbar, from=Q162931 Garryales Asterid genera