A tender perennial native to South America, the leaf of this herb is extremely sweet and used commercially as a sweetener, it can be used fresh or dried. 9x9cm pot (8cm depth)
Description
- Used as a sweetener
- Contains almost zero calories
- Contains antioxidants
Over five thousand food and drink items worldwide contain stevia and it is over two hundred times sweeter than sugar. It is a South American native plant and was discovered in the sixteenth century by the Spanish and named after a botanist of the time Petros Stevus. It produces little white flowers at the end of the summer, and although perennial needs to be kept warm throughout the winter. It is easy to dry and store for winter use.
Plant care
- Height: 30-60cm
- Type: Tender
- Aspect: Sun
- Soil: Any/alkaline
- Flower colour: White
- Flowering period: August - September
This ultra-sweet herb needs some care to survive. During the summer months when there is absolutely no risk of frost and the night time temperatures are high, it can be grown outdoors in full sun, preferably in a container where you can protect it from slugs who find the leaves as attractive as we do. As soon as temperatures begin to drop away in late summer bring it indoors and continue to a warm sunny windowsill. It usually flowers around this time and once the flowers die, cut it right back and give it a good feed and your stevia will sprout again from the base.