Stevia rebaudiana Seeds | Stevia
LATIN NAME: Stevia rebaudiana
COMMON NAME: Stevia
Plant Profile
Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) grows as a herb in the daisy family. LATIN NAME: Stevia rebaudiana COMMON NAME: Stevia stevia is sweet, green herb of warm beds, and small, white flowers open in loose clusters above toothed leaves. Leaves have a long record as fine, sweet herb of warm tables, and plant is a fine, generous presence of sweet garden. It is a plant of open, sunny, deep, moist, well-drained ground. All of this makes Stevia a satisfying plant to grow and to get to know.
Science & Biotechnology
Research touching on Stevia rebaudiana ranges from the botany of the daisy family to practical horticulture, including seed handling, propagation and the selection of superior forms. Interest from collectors and breeders has never lapsed, and good seed continues to circulate.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Stevia earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. Stevia is a fine, generous plant of herb garden and sweet bed. It is a fine, generous plant of open, sunny, deep, moist, well-drained garden. Keep young plants in warm, bright spot through the first season, and the sweet leaves will come. Establishment is uncomplicated, and afterwards ordinary care suffices.
Stevia leaf is the natural zero-calorie sweetener, its steviol glycosides two to three hundred times sweeter than sugar; home-grown leaves sweeten teas directly, and the plant is a cheerful windowsill annual.
Growing from Seed
Starting Stevia from seed is simple and satisfying. Level a tray of loose seed compost, sow evenly, cover to about the seed’s own depth, and keep it moist in full light. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
Its role in herbal practice, noted above, adds depth to an already garden-worthy plant. Once established, Stevia largely looks after itself. After establishment, care settles into an easy routine.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Stevia often pair it with these related subjects: