Scientific Name:
Stevia rebaudiana
Pronunciation:
STEV-ee-uh re-bawd-ee-AH-nuh
Common Name:
stevia, sweetleaf
Family Name:
Asteraceae
Plant Type:
Annual (grown as)
Key ID Features:
Very sweet taste (30-50 times sweeter than table sugar); leaves opposite, sessile, most 5-10cm long x 1-4cm wide, blade elliptic to oblong, margin serrate, pubescent; heads with only 5(-8) disk florets, each with 5 white petals.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Columnar
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
0.4 - 0.7m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
South America (Paraguay)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 10: (-1 to 4 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Humus rich, Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Bedding plant, Herb
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Pubescent
Colour in Fall:
Green-yellow
Shapes:
Elliptic, Obovate
Apices:
Rounded
Bases:
Attenuate
Margins:
Crenate, Dentate, Serrate
Additional Info:
Margins entire for about 1/3 of leaf towards base and serrate with rounded teeth towards apex
Inflorescence Type:
Head (capitulum), Corymb-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Corolla Shape:
Ligulate
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White
Flower Time at Peak:
Jul, Aug
Additional Info:
Not a typical head 5 to 8 large disc florets and bracts
Fruit Type:
Cypsela (achene + calyx)
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
