Stevia (genus)
| Stevia | |
|---|---|
| |
| 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: | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Stevia (
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]
Taxonomy
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]
References
- ^ Flann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist Archived 17 January 2015 at archive.today
- ^ "Stevia". Merriam-webster.com. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
- ^ "Stevia". British & World English. Oxforddictionaries.com. 7 February 2013. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
- ^ "Stevia". US English. Oxforddictionaries.com. 7 February 2013. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
- ^ Both /ˈstiːviə/ and /ˈstɛviə/ are recorded by at least some US and UK dictionaries, but the former is more common in US English (listed first or exclusively) and the latter is more common in UK English.
- .
- ^ "Stevia". Flora of North America.
- ^ "Stevia Cav". USDA Plants.
- PMID 21687353.
- ISBN 978-0-643-06514-7..This reference refers specifically to Stevia eupatoria, a related weed having the same nomenclature origin.
