Pavetta sp.
Family: Rubiaceae
Christmas bush
Origin: South Africa
There are 22 species of Pavetta in South Africa. Pavetta is a large genus found in warm areas of Africa, Asia and Australia. All have bacterial nodules on the leaves – they look like black dots. The bacteria in these nodules fix nitrogen from the air in the same way that bacteria in nodules on the roots of legumes fix it from the soil. Other species to be found in cultivation include P.lanceolata, P.cooperi and P. revoluta.
