Stevia, Sweet Herb Of Paraguay, Sugar-leaf
Stevia rebaudiana

Family: Asteraceae

What it is like

A perennial shrub. It grows to 0.5-1 m tall. Plants are clumpy bushes about 75 cm high and 60 cm wide. The leaves are 2-3 cm long. They are small, oblong and have teeth around the edge. The flower heads are on the tips of stems. They are in clusters and are white. The fruit are very small and have one seed. They have feathery plumes which help them spread.

There are about 235 Stevia species in the neotropics. It is a sweetener much more effective than sucrose. It reduces blood sugar and contains few calories. It is therefore used as a medicine for diabetes and to lower blood pressure. It has antioxidants.

Where it is found

A tropical and subtropical plant. It is frost tender. It requires a warm and sunny location. It can grow on a range of soils and suits sandy soils. It grows naturally on infertile, sandy acid soils. They do best in rich loamy soil. Composting or mulching is needed on sandy soils. They cannot stand water-logging but need constant soil moisture. Soil temperatures above 10-15°C are needed for satisfactory plant growth. It grows naturally in semi-humid subtropical climates with temperatures between 21°-43°C. It grows where average temperatures are 24°C. It often grows in places with shallow water tables. It requires short day-lengths. It grows in areas with up to 1375 mm of rain a year.

Countries/locations it is found in

Andorra, Asia, Australia, Brazil (country/location of origin), Canada, China, Georgia, India, Indochina, Israel, Mediterranean, Middle East, North America, Paraguay (country/location of origin), SE Asia, South America, Tasmania, Thailand, Uruguay, Uzbekistan

How it is used for food

The leaves are dried and can be used for sweetening. They are also used to make a tea. They can also be cooked and eaten as a vegetable. The powdered herb is used as a sugar substitute.

A potentially useful plant that has been restriced by law in the USA because it competes with nutrasweet! It is widely used in Japan. It is cultivated.

Edible parts

Leaves

How it is grown

The seed are only sown shallowly. Seeds are slow and difficult to get to germinate. It can be grown from cuttings. It is best to select cuttings from known sweet (high stevioside) plants. Plants should be spaced 40-50 cm apart. Harvesting is done by pruning off the branches then removing the leaves. The plants can be grown for 2 years then are best replanted.

Sweetness increases with longer growing periods and as temperatures and daylength decrease moving the plant towards a flowering state. The plant is dried and threshed to remove the stem material which has little sweetener content. Leaves can be sold in this condition or are further processed.

Its other names

Local names

Candyleaf, Caa-ehe

Synonyms

Eupatorium rebaudianum Bertoni;