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Nertera granadensis
Also called English Babytears, Makole, Coral Beadplant, Coral Moss, Mākole
Beadplant is a low, creeping subshrub grown for its tiny orange berries that follow small white flowers. It is kept as a small houseplant or cool-season ground cover, and it needs bright, filtered light and steady moisture while fruiting.
Nertera granadensis, also known as coral bead plant, pin-cushion plant, coral moss, or English baby tears, is a plant in the family Rubiaceae with orange berries, of the genus Nertera. Nertera granadensis with an unusually extensive transcontinental distribution surrounding the Pacific Ocean, occurring from southern Chile and western Argentina north to Guatemala, and in Hawaii, New Zealand, eastern Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Taiwan, possibly due to its cultivation as ground-cover. In tropical biomes of the western Pacific, Nertera granadensis only occurs at high altitudes. It does also occur on the Juan Fernández Islands. It is grown as an ornamental plant in gardens, and the name given to the plant in Mapudungun and Chilean Spanish is rucachucao. The name granadensis derives from New Granada, the old name of Colombia.
As a houseplant, Nertera granadensis is somewhat difficult to maintain, and it is not recommended for beginners. The soil should provide adequate drainage. It should be kept in a bright, semi-shaded place - a tropic-facing window is ideal - and should not be left in direct sunlight.
During the summer, Nertera granadensis can be kept outdoors, but it still needs to be protected from direct sunlight. Its environment should not be too warm, nor should it go below 8 degrees Celsius (around 45 Fahrenheit) in the winter for the plant to thrive. During the winter and autumn gardeners should wait until the soil dries between watering.
The plant possesses brightly colored fruit, and can be visually appealing to young children and pets. A publication by some German scientists noted that of 21 children known to have ingested the plant, five showed mild symptoms associated with poisoning, such as tiredness, stomach pains, and vomiting.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Nertera granadensis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
