Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni

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.

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.

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.

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.