(also gold-dust tree), a genus of plants of the Cor-naceae (Dogwood) family. There are three species in the Himalayas, China, Japan, and Korea. Aucuba japonica is an evergreen dioecious shrub with large leaves, tiny flowers appearing in panicles, and red, yellow, or white fruits in the form of berries. It grows in Korea and Japan and is cultivated on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and Crimea in open soil. A favorite decorative house and greenhouse plant, it has many garden varieties.