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 | |
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About 240 species, including: | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
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. The species Stevia rebaudiana in this genus is widely grown for its extraction of sweet compounds from its leaves and sold as a sugar substitute known as stevia and other trade names.
Taxonomy
The genus Stevia consists of 240 species.[6]
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.[7]
Distribution and habitat
The genus is native to South America, Central America, and Mexico, with several species found as far north as Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.[8] The genus primary grows in semi-dry mountainous terrains but can also grow in other habitats such as grasslands, scrublands, forested mountain slopes, conifer forests, and subalpine vegetation.[9]
Uses
Human use of the sweet species S. rebaudiana originated in South America.[10] 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.[11]
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.
- ^ Parsons, WT; Cuthbertson, EG (2001). Noxious Weeds of Australia, 2nd ed. Collingswood, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. p. 309. ISBN 978-0-643-06514-7..This reference refers specifically to Stevia eupatoria, a related weed having the same nomenclature origin.
- ^ "Stevia Cav". USDA Plants.
- ^ Borgo, Jimena; Laurella, Laura C.; Martini, Florencia; Catalán, Cesar A. N.; Sülsen, Valeria P. (6 May 2021). "Stevia Genus: Phytochemistry and Biological Activities Update". Molecules. 26 (9): 2733. doi:10.3390/molecules26092733. PMC 8125113. PMID 34066562.
- ^ Misra, Himanshu; Soni, Manish; Silawat, Narendra; Mehta, Darshana; Mehta, B. K.; Jain, D. C. (2011). "Antidiabetic activity of medium-polar extract from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bert. (Bertoni) on alloxan-induced diabetic rats". Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences. 3 (2): 242–248. doi:10.4103/0975-7406.80779. ISSN 0976-4879. PMC 3103919. PMID 21687353.
- ^ Abdullateef, Raji Akintunde; Osman, Mohamad (1 January 2012). "Studies on effects of pruning on vegetative traits in Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni (Compositae)". International Journal of Biology. 4 (1). doi:10.5539/ijb.v4n1p146.
