Japanese aucuba

Synonyms: gold tree, sausage tree, Japanese laurel, Aucuba vivicans W.Bull

Japanese aucuba (Aucuba japonica Thunb.) – a species of woody plants in the genus Aucuba (Aucuba) of the family Garryaceae (Garryaceae). It was first described in 1783 in Nov. Gen. Pl. 3: 61 by Carl Peter Thunberg. It was first introduced to England by Philip Miller, a pupil of the botanist John Graeffer, in 1783 as a greenhouse plant. The plant became widely cultivated as the «golden tree».

Aucuba Japonica Variegata

Found on rich forest soils, in moist valleys, in thickets, and along streams in China, Korea, and Japan.

It is an evergreen shrub 1-3 m tall. Shoots erect, well-branched, woody, light green.

Leaves opposite, leathery, oblong-oval in shape, glossy, reaching up to 20 cm in length and 6 cm in width, with a rounded or broadly cuneate base and an acute apex. In the upper part of the leaf there are often 2-4-6 pairs of spines. Stipules absent.

Flowers small, inconspicuous, gathered in hairy panicles, 4-merous, unisexual, dioecious, reddish. Staminate inflorescences paniculate, 7-10 cm, pubescent, petals broadly ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 3.5-4.5 × 2-2.5 mm, with an acute apex. Pistillate flowers purple or dark red, petals broadly ovate or elliptic-lanceolate. Flowers in March-April.

Fruits – ovoid red berries 2 cm long and 5-7 mm in diameter.

Varieties:

• Aucuba japonica var. japonica
• Aucuba japonica var. variegata Dombrain
• Aucuba japonica f. longifolia

Cultivars: 'Crotonifolia', 'Serratifolia', 'Crotonifolia', 'Golden Spangles', 'Rozannie', 'Night and Day'

Hardiness zone: 5b (-25°C)

Temperature: recommended temperature for cultivation - in summer not above 20°C, in winter 5-10°C.

Humidity: tolerates dry air, but responds well to misting, especially when heating is on.

Light: diffused light is desirable; it should not be placed on a south-facing window, as it does not tolerate direct sunlight. It easily tolerates low light conditions, however, growth rate is reduced. Cultivars with dark green leaves are more shade-tolerant.

Soil: light soil is best. Potting mix: 1 part garden soil, 1 part coarse sand or perlite, 1 part moist peat or humus (leaf mold). Good drainage and a hole in the pot are required.

Repotting: young plants are repotted every 1-2 years in spring, and mature plants every 2-3 years. They should not be repotted too frequently.

Watering: moderate is recommended; in summer no more often than once a week, in winter once every 2 weeks. The soil should dry slightly between waterings.

Fertilizer: from spring to August, every 3-4 months with a soluble mineral or organic fertilizer. Granular fertilizers can be used.

Pruning: requires regular pruning

Propagation: easily propagated by terminal cuttings with 1-3 leaves, which are planted in a mixture of peat and sand in late winter or early spring, temperature 20-22°C. The tips of cuttings are pinched immediately for branching. It can be propagated by seed, sowing them in a peat and sand mixture under polyethylene film, but the resulting plants grow slowly.

Pests: scale insects, spider mite, mealybug, whitefly.

Uses: grown as a houseplant in Ukraine.