Aucuba
Also called gold-dust plant, or Japanese laurel
(Aucuba japonica)

Gold-dust plant is a bold, durable plant with large, leathery leaves that have characteristic blotches of gold.

Light
Expose to medium (bright indirect) light.  Tolerates low light.

Water
Keep the soil evenly moist, but not soggy.  Mist daily to increase humidity.

Temperature
Maintain temperatures in the low 70s in summer.  Provide cooler temperatures in winter, with a 20-degree drop at night.  Can withstand occasional freezing.

Comments
Plant aucuba in a large container to allow it room to grow into a small shrub.  Pinch off growing tips to create bushy growth.  Hard pruning is best done in late winter before active growth.  Propagate by stem cuttings from half-ripened (firm, newer) wood, sections of root one to two inches long, or seed.