Common Name: Spotted Laurel

Aucuba is a genus of three to ten species of flowering plants, now placed in the family Garryaceae, although formerly classed in the Aucubaceae or Cornaceae.

Aucuba species are native to eastern Asia, from the Eastern Himalaya east to Japan. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees 2-13 m tall, similar in appearance to the laurels of the genus Laurus, having glossy, leathery leaves, and are sometimes mistakenly called laurels. Aucubas are dioecious, having separate male and female plants. The flowers 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 1 cm diameter.