# Name that houseplant (with pictures)!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-houseplant-with-pictures/399094
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 7, 2007, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-houseplant-with-pictures/399094 "2007-04-07T13:16:22Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Sparklo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparklo)
#### Post date: [April 7, 2007, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-houseplant-with-pictures/399094/1 "2007-04-07T13:16:22Z")
I’ve had this houseplant for several years and have never been sure just what it is. This hasn’t been a problem until now; we’ve just added our first cat to the household and want to make sure this plant isn’t instant death if the cat nibbles on it.
[Here’s an overall shot of it.](http://www.whpress.com/plant/overall.jpg)
[And here’s a closeup of the leaves.](http://www.whpress.com/plant/closeup.jpg)
It’s always had the yellow spots on the leaves. After a couple of years, it had long, woody stems with a tuft of leaves on the end which I pruned back to the less ungainly shape it is now. It sits in indirect sunlight and doesn’t require much care except occasional watering.
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### Author:  [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)
#### Post date: [April 7, 2007, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-houseplant-with-pictures/399094/2 "2007-04-07T14:13:20Z")
My wife is going with: Gold Dust Plant.
If you look through some [images](http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&q=gold+dust+plant&btnG=Search+Images) , you can see some that are pretty close to your pics.
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### Author:  [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)
#### Post date: [April 7, 2007, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-houseplant-with-pictures/399094/3 "2007-04-07T14:21:39Z")
Looks like some form of Japonica, maybe a Camelia.
Does it flower ?
Most Japonica have small white flowers that hang like tiny bells, but some produce a long green tuft.
Camelias are known for their bright colours.
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### Author:  [@Sparklo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparklo)
#### Post date: [April 7, 2007, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-houseplant-with-pictures/399094/4 "2007-04-07T14:42:35Z")
Thanks **Scruloose** and **casdave**. I should have mentioned that the plant has never flowered. It seems like it might be a Gold Dust variety. This [one in particular](http://www.mercerbotanicals.com/products/LargeView/Gold_Dust/50.html) looks like a close match. Unfortunately, it also looks like Gold Dust (Aucuba japonica) causes GI upset when ingested so it’ll have to be moved or replaced.
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### Author:  [@Monstera\_deliciosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstera_deliciosa)
#### Post date: [April 7, 2007, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-houseplant-with-pictures/399094/5 "2007-04-07T14:46:50Z")
Based on the leaf shape, I doubt that it is an Aucuba japonica (the plant usually called gold dust plant,) or a Dracaena goldseffiana (another common yellow spotted house plant) but rather a Gold Dust Croton ( a variety of Codiaeum variegatum.) Crotons have a white sticky sap, which I don’t believe the others I mentioned do, so it is another good way to tell.
[http://www.denverplants.com/foliage/html/crodust.htm](http://www.denverplants.com/foliage/html/crodust.htm)
Slightly larger pic: [http://www.plantranchco.com/Photos/PR\_PhotoDetails.asp?ProductNO=105](http://www.plantranchco.com/Photos/PR_PhotoDetails.asp?ProductNO=105)
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### Author:  [@Sparklo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparklo)
#### Post date: [April 7, 2007, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-houseplant-with-pictures/399094/6 "2007-04-07T15:15:29Z")
Ah, you’re right **KayElCee** , I should have looked more closely at the description of Aucuba japonica. My highly unscientific test for sap (pull off a leaf and look at the stem) proved inconclusive but Codiaeum variegatum is also noted as causing GI problems so it looks like this plant will stay in the cat-free zone.
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### Author:  [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2007, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-houseplant-with-pictures/399094/7 "2007-04-08T03:14:01Z")
[QUOTE=casdave]
Looks like some form of Japonica, maybe a Camelia.
Does it flower ?
Most Japonica have small white flowers that hang like tiny bells, but some produce a long green tuft.
Camelias are known for their bright colours.
[/QUOTE]
OP answered, but, in that Fighting Mo’ Betta knowledge Thang here: Have to note here that the term “Japonica” just means Japanese origin for botanicals. It’s always the second binomial for plants, and a descriptive term. There is no species primarily termed as Japonica.
Gently, this botanageek fades out…
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### Author:  [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2007, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-that-houseplant-with-pictures/399094/8 "2007-04-08T14:55:27Z")
Gold dust croton it is. They are a quite common low light plant here in sunny old florida. 🆒