Possibly 3 species of perennials from temperate South America and New Zealand. They have wiry, more or less creeping stems, small, simple, alternate leaves and six-tepalled bowl-shaped white flowers followed by globose fleshy berries.

Uses

Not easy to accommodate, requiring shade and humidity and protection from severe frost. Probably best grown just under the bench in the alpine house. In mild areas best in a peat bed or a shady nook in the rock garden. For pot culture a mixture of peat and sphagnum moss or pulverised bark is recommended. Propagation by seed when ripe or as soon afterwards as possible, perhaps also by careful division and cuttings in late spring or late summer.