The Stevia plant is originally native to South America and is biologically correctly referred to as Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. Only these plants form the sweet-tasting stevioside, a low-calorie sweetener, in their leaves.

Stevia - the heat-loving South American

Stevia is found in the wild on the plateaus of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. A semi-humid climate prevails here, which is characterized by high amounts of precipitation. The mild temperatures rarely drop below twenty degrees Celsius. The soils in this region are slightly acidic, clayey, sandy and therefore well drained. They are considered almost sterile because of their low nutrient content. Stevia has adapted perfectly to these conditions and in its natural form develops bushy shoots up to one meter high.

Frugal perennial

Since the branches of the stevia grow almost unbranched, the plant needs a lot of light to develop the foliage but hardly any nutrients. Depending on the climate, the honey leaf thrives in its natural home as an evergreen plant or sheds its leaves in cooler temperatures. The stevia then draws its life force back into the extensive rootstock and sprout fresh and green at higher temperatures. The main flowering time of the honey leaf falls in late autumn. The wind, which almost always prevails on the plateaux, carries the pollen from one flower to the next.

Rediscovered by the Europeans

The Swiss naturalist Moisés Giacomo "Santiago" Bertoni was the first European to come across the honey leaf in the border area with Brazil. At first he suspected that the sweetleaf was a hitherto unknown Eupatorium species due to its similarity to the water daffodil native to Europe. Only at the beginning of the 20th century was Stevia correctly classified and given its Latin plant name in honor of Bertoni.

Locals have valued stevia for as long as anyone can remember

Stevia is very popular with the indigenous people of South America. Even today, people living in South America use the plant as a highly effective natural medicine and to sweeten mate tea. During the Second World War, when sugar was scarce, sweet cabbage was first tried out as a sugar substitute in England. Since November 11, 2011, stevia has also been permitted as a food additive in the EU and is used in low-sugar foods.

tips and tricks

You can use either fresh stevia leaves, a stevia extract or stevia powder to sweeten food and drinks. You can make all of these sweeteners yourself from the leaves of the plant.

Category:

Vegetable garden