How to Grow and Care for Nertera

Other names for coral moss (Nertera granadensis) include English baby tears, pin-cushion plant, and coral bead plant. It’s an incredibly tricky plant for novice gardeners to grow. But if you have some horticultural skills under your belt and want to try, keep it out of direct sunlight. Also, make sure it’s planted in porous soil.

Hairy forest nertera ( Nertera villosa) is an herb that derives its common name from the Greek word 'nertera', meaning 'low down.' This herb grows in lowland to montane forests and has peculiar hairy leaves. Hairy forest nertera can easily be propagated from rooted pieces and flowers between fall and winter.

Nertera sinensis is a low-growing, creeping perennial with a mat-forming habit, notable for its tiny, rounded leaves and orange-red to yellowish beads-like berries. Thriving in moist, shaded environments, this ground cover relies on bright yet indirect light, and well-draining but consistently damp soil, to flourish and produce its vibrant fruit, which is particularly eye-catching against the plant's dense, green foliage.

Nertera nigricarpa is a low-growing perennial herb that thrives in the understory of moist forest ecosystems. Its compact, trailing stems are adorned with small, rounded green leaves which underscore the plant's most striking feature - clusters of dark, blackish berries. These vivid fruits emerge after petite, inconspicuous white flowers and are often a key indicator for species identification.

Nertera ciliata is a low-growing, mat-forming perennial with small, rounded leaves and distinctive, tiny orange to red berries. Thriving in cool, moist environments, it prefers shady undergrowth or along stream banks. Its bead-like berries are significant for identification, nestled amongst the foliage and providing a splash of color in its native habitat.