Looking good in the garden this month is Aucuba japonica var. borealis ‘Male Man’. The subspecies “borealis” is from a much colder region than typical Aucuba japonica, and consequently will survive much further north, reportedly as far north as Zone 6a. This subspecies grows in the Honshu region of Northern Japan, where they are subjected to brutal winters including high annual snowfall. The cultivar name indicates that this is a male form. These mature at only 3′ tall.
Does the moniker ‘Male Man’ indicate it does not flower?
Aucuba ‘Male Man’ flowers and produces pollen (plant sperm), but cannot bear children (no fruit).