Japanese aucuba
Aucuba japonica Thunb.
Aucuba japonica, known as Japanese aucuba, is a shrub native to China, Korea, and Japan. It thrives in moist, shaded environments such as forest valleys, thickets, and near streams. The plant is dioecious, with small, purplish-brown flowers in clusters and red, bird-resistant drupes as fruit. It is widely cultivated, especially in variegated forms.
Description
Aucuba japonica is a member of the Garryaceae family and is found in moist, shaded habitats. Its leaves are opposite, lanceolate, and measure 5–8 cm in length. The plant is dioecious, with each flower having four petals and forming clusters of 10–30. The fruit is a red drupe about 1 cm in diameter. It is commonly grown in gardens, particularly in variegated varieties. The species was first described in 1783 and has a broad distribution across Europe and Asia.
Other common names
Spotted-laurelJapanese laurelJapanese aucubaJapanese-laurelSpotted Laurel
Distribution
TR · TW · IE · Belgium · Brussels-Capital Region · Flemish Region · Walloon Region · France · The Netherlands · Great Britain · DZ · GB · IT · AT · Latvia · Slovakia · Denmark · Finland · Channel Is. · Hungary · Ireland · Northern Ireland · Italy · Norway · European part of Russia · Sweden · England · Scotland · Wales · SE