Herb. No. 168 · Asteraceae
Paraguayan highland herb. A tender pot plant north of the frost line.
Native · South America
Native Also grown
LegalGentleplant
Stevia
Stevia rebaudiana
The Paraguayan sweet herb — a few leaves that sugar a pot without sugar, and a bitter green aftertaste if you overdo it.
Stevia is a South American Asteraceae whose leaf is intensely sweet. Guaraní use as a sweetener is old. Culinary leaf in a cup is the garden path. Purified extracts are a factory product. A handful of leaf can taste bitter-licorice if you steep it like mint. A leaflet is a teaspoon of sugar’s ghost.
Flavor
Sweet, then a licorice-bitter green if you use too much. A leaflet, not a handful.
Parts used
Leaf
Helpful
- A true zero-sugar leaf
- A pot plant
Cautions
- Asteraceae allergy
- Bitter if oversteeped
- Tender in frost