Aucuba japonica
Encyclopedia
Aucuba japonica, the spotted laurel, is a shrub (1-5m) native to woods in lowland and mountains all over Japan
and China
. In rich forest soils of moist valleys, dense forests, thickets, by streams and near shaded moist rocks in China. The leaves
are opposite, broad lanceolate, 5-8 cm long and 2-5 cm wide. Aucuba japonica are dioecious
, they have separate male and female plants. The flower
s are small, 4-8 mm diameter, with four purplish-brown petals; they are produced in clusters of 10-30 in a loose cyme. The fruit
is a red berry
approx. 1 cm diameter. They are often avoided by birds. They are a popular garden plant in the United Kingdom
and western Europe. This shrub is also popular in the United States, where it is commonly referred to as the Gold Dust Plant .
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. In rich forest soils of moist valleys, dense forests, thickets, by streams and near shaded moist rocks in China. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are opposite, broad lanceolate, 5-8 cm long and 2-5 cm wide. Aucuba japonica are dioecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
, they have separate male and female plants. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are small, 4-8 mm diameter, with four purplish-brown petals; they are produced in clusters of 10-30 in a loose cyme. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a red berry
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
approx. 1 cm diameter. They are often avoided by birds. They are a popular garden plant in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and western Europe. This shrub is also popular in the United States, where it is commonly referred to as the Gold Dust Plant .