Aucuba japonica




Family Cornaceae
Scientific name Aucuba japonica Thunberg
Synonyms Aucuba japonica Thunberg var. australis Hara & Kurosawa; Aucuba japonica Thunberg var. concolar Regel; Aucuba japonica Thunberg var. ovoidea Koidzumi; Aucuba japonica Thunberg var. typica Nakai; Aucuba japonica Thunberg var. variegata Dombrain; Eubasis dichotoma Salisbury
Common name (Japanese common name) ao-ki [green trees]
(English common name) Japanese aucuba, Japanese-laurel, spotted-laurel
Distribution (Japan) Honshu (west of Miyagi Prefecture), Shikoku, Kyushu, Okinawa
(Other nations) China
Chromosomal number 2n=16, 32
Description Plants 1-2m. Leaves 8-10cm length. Flowers flowering in March to May. Deciduous. Shrub.
Reference Aucuba japonica Thunb.
Aucuba japonica Thunberg
Hair dyeing by iridoid glycosides and aglycons thereof (US Patent 5078750/1992)
Method for production of petroselinic acid and OMEGA12 hexadecanoic acid in transgenic plants (US Patent 5430134/1995)
Pharmaceutical preparations which inhibit hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication (US Patent 5929038/1999)



Male plants


April 2007
at Institute for Nature Study
April 2007
at Tsukuba Botanical Garden
April 2007
at Tsukuba Botanical Garden


December 2007
at lowland forest edge



Female plants


April 2007
at Institute for Nature Study
April 2007
at Institute for Nature Study
April 2007
at Institute for Nature Study


December 2007
at Ibaraki Prefecture Botanical Garden
December 2007
at lowland forest edge
December 2007
at lowland forest edge


December 2007
at lowland forest edge



Variation of Leaves


April 2007
at Institute for Nature Study
April 2007
at Institute for Nature Study
April 2007
at Institute for Nature Study