How to tell if your AUCUBA is a male or a female.

Why do you need to know (unless you are a lonely aucuba)?  If you want berries you have to have a female plant, and a male nearby!

What is an Aucuba Japonica?  It's better known as a spotted laurel, an  evergreen shrub with yellow spots or splotches depending on the variety.  

So if you want berries you need to know how to tell whether you have a girl or a boy.  Most plants do not specify, and if you buy one with berries on it they will not occur again unless you have a male plant in the vicinity.

So how are you supposed to know the difference?  None of my gardening reference books helped identify an existing plant unless you knew which variation it was, and even then there was some confusion over which were which.

I went on-line and eventually managed to find the answer from a site that no longer exists.  I have seen people asking about it recently, so I thought I would put my findings here.

Look at your plant,

1.  If it has berries (September - January) it is a girl!  Thanks to our crazy climate mine still has berries and is in flower too!  

If it does not have berries it is either a male, or a female with no male nearby!

2.  If it is in flower (April) look at the flowers -

If they are close to the leaf with a thick central pistil (as above) it is female and will produce berries if there is a male nearby.

If the flowers are held away from the leaves on upright panicles with four anthers in each flower (like the one above) it is a male.  It can fertilise females in the vicinity but does not bear berries itself.

Now you can go shopping for the right partner!  All these have different yellow varigation -

Females

‘Variegata’                   

‘Golden Spangles’                          

‘Marmorata’

‘Gold Dust’                   

‘Sulphura Marginata’

Males

‘Golden King’     

‘Crassifolia’

‘Mr Goldstrike’              

‘Picturata’*

‘Crotonifolia’*

*"Some plants of 'Crotonifolia' and 'Picturata' are known to be female and have produced fruits"

RHS Encyclopedia of Plants & Flowers 2006

I bought a 'Crotonifolia' a couple of years ago as the label said it was male, but when it flowered it was a girl!  

So I bought myself a 'Mr Goldstrike' last week not only because it is a boy for my 2 girls, but also because it is another lovely variation which will brighten my garden. However, I am just waiting for the flowers to open to confirm that.....

6th May 2013 - It's a boy!  Got home today and the new aucuba Mr Goldstrike has finally flowered.  The four white anthers show up really well!

and here's my big girl, with berries AND flowers at the same time.  Our climate is so mixed up.

The central pistil is not as bright as the anthers, more green and transluscent.

Anyway hope that explains why the Aucuba you bought with berries on never had any more, and what to do to ensure it has them next year.

You should visit www.sew-whats-new.com!

Hi

My name is Karen, I live in rural Norfolk, England.

I like to create, I taught myself Canal Art which is painting roses on items as done by the people who used to live and work on our canal systems.

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