Nertera

a genus of creeping perennial herbs of the family Rubiaceae. The leaves are oval and opposite. The solitary flowers are four- or five-parted and have tubular or funnel-shaped greenish corollas. The fruit is a two-seeded drupe. There are approximately 12 species of Nertera, distributed in subtropical and tropical regions of the southern hemisphere. The bead plant (Nertera granadensis, or N. depressa) is cultivated in greenhouses and as a house plant; it is common in Central and South America, Tasmania, and New Zealand. The bead plant grows in dense clusters, which are adorned in the summer and autumn with bright orange fruits.