Stevia, Candyleaf
Stevia rebaudiana

Family: Asteraceae or Compositae

What it is like

Stevia rebaudiana is a ANNUAL growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9 and is frost tender. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 0.5

Where it is found

Infertile, sandy acid soils with shallow water tables. This is normally in areas like the edge of mashes and grassland communities.

S. America - Brazil, Paraguay.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Leaves - raw or cooked. A very sweet liquorice-like flavour. The leaves contain 'stevioside', a substance that is 300 times sweeter than sucrose. Other reports say that they contain 'estevin' a substance that, weight for weight, is 150 times sweeter than sugar. The dried leaves can be ground and used as a sweetener or soaked in water and the liquid used in making preserves. The powdered leaves are also added to herb teas. The leaves are sometimes chewed by those wishing to reduce their sugar intake. The leaves can also be cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

Sweetener: includes sugar substitutes.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Hypoglycaemic: Reduces the levels of sugar in the blood.

Other

Rating:

How it is grown

Prefers a sandy soil, requiring a warm sunny position. It is a short day plant, growing up to 0.6 meters in the wild and flowering from January to March in the southern hemisphere. Flowering under short day conditions should occur 54-104 days following transplanting, depending on the daylength sensitivity of the cultivar. The natural climate is semi-humid subtropical with temperature extremes from 21 to 43 C, averaging 24 C. Stevia grows in areas with up to 1375mm of rain a year. Plants are not very frost resistant, but can be grown as half-hardy annuals in Britain, starting them off in a greenhouse and planting them out after the last expected frosts.

Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a warm greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Make sure the compost does not dry out. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots and grow them on fast, planting them out after the last expected frosts. It could be worthwhile giving them some protection such as a cloche or cold frame for a few weeks after planting them out until they are growing away well.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds; South Wall. By. West Wall. By.

Habit: Annual

Hardiness: 8-11

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

May cause dizziness, headache, flatulence, nausea & muscle pain. Caution with diabetic patients. May increase blood pressure lowering effects of allopathic medicine .

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Eupatorium rebaudianum.