Stevia seeds (natural sweetener)

Used since pre-Columbian times by the Guarani of the region, who call it ka'a he'ẽ or "sweet herb", as a sweetener for mate and other infusions, the species did not attract the attention of the colonizers; It was not until after the Guaraní natives presented it to the Swiss scientist Moisés Santiago Bertoni, in 1887, that it began to be appreciated by Western science.

Stevia rebaudana is a perennial shrub, reaching 90 cm in height. The leaves, lanceolate or elliptical and toothed, are alternate, simple, shiny dark green with a rough surface, sometimes somewhat hairy, up to 5 cm long by 2 cm wide. The stems are pubescent and straight, branching only after the first vegetative cycle, with a tendency to lean. The roots are mostly superficial, although a thickened section sinks deeper; They are fibrous, filiform and perennial, and are the only part of the plant in which steviosides do not occur. In the wild, it grows in sandy, infertile and well-drained soils; It is slightly acidophilic. It requires long days, and a lot of sun.

Irrigation should be frequent during the dry period.

Germination:

Plant in ground and disinfected leaf soil, or in humus soil, cover the seeds with only a little of the same soil, water to moisten, but never soak the pot or you run the risk of the seeds rotting. The seeds will germinate in a period of 7 to 20 days. or sow if the temperature drops more than 16 degrees Celsius.

Harvest

Harvesting is done just before flowering, to maintain the highest possible concentration of sweetener in the leaves.

It can be used for commercial production for a period of more than five years; If the entire stem is harvested, the root sprouts. A 1 m tall plant yields about 70 g of usable dry material, of which 25 g correspond to leaves.

instructions inside the packaging.