Nertera

Nertera is a genus of about 15 species of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae, native to the Southern Hemisphere, in South America and Australasia, with one species extending into the Northern Hemisphere in Central America and eastern Asia.

The name derives from the Greek word nerteros, meaning low down. Common names include pincushion, coral bead or bead plant.

They are prostrate, creeping, mat-forming herbaceous perennial plants growing to 20-40 cm across or more but no more than a few centimetres high. The leaves are usually quite small, and when crushed may in some species release a foul smell (methanethiol) like the related woody genus Coprosma. The flowers are insignificant and probably wind-pollinated. The fruit is usually a bright orange berry, but in some species may be a dry capsule.


Selected species
Nertera granadensis (also known as coral bead plant, pin-cushion plant, or bead plant) is a ground cover with orange berries, of the genus Nertera. Nertera granadensis has an unusually extensive trans-continental distribution surrounding the Pacific Ocean, occurring from southern Chile and western Argentina north to Guatemala, and in New Zealand, eastern Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Taiwan. In the tropical regions of the western Pacific, Nertera granadensis only occurs at high altitudes. It is grown as an ornamental plant in gardens, and the name given to the plant by indigenous peoples is rucachucao.

Nertera cunninghamii

Nertera balfouriana

Nertera ciliata

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