Stevia (/ˈstiːviə, ˈstɛviə/)[2][3][4][5] is a genus of about 240 species of herbs and shrubs in the family Asteraceae, native to subtropical and tropical regions from western North America to South America.
Stevia | |
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Stevia rebaudiana flowers | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Asterales |
Family: | Asteraceae |
Subfamily: | Asteroideae |
Tribe: | Eupatorieae |
Genus: | Stevia Cav. |
Species | |
About 240 species, including:
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Synonyms[1] | |
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The species Stevia rebaudiana is widely grown for the sweet compounds (steviol glycosides) extracted from its leaves, sold as a sugar substitute under the generic name stevia and several trade names.[6]
The genus Stevia consists of 240[7] species of plants native to South America, Central America, and Mexico, with several species found as far north as Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.[8] Human use of the sweet species S. rebaudiana originated in South America.[9]
The genus was named for Spanish botanist and physician Petrus Jacobus Stevus (Pedro Jaime Esteve 1500–1556), a professor of botany at the University of Valencia.[10]