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397. Stevia Cavanilles, Icon. 4: 32, plates 354, 355. 1797.
Candyleaf [For Pedro Jaime Esteve (Stevius), d. 1556, noted medical practitioner and botany professor of Valencia, Spain]
Guy L. Nesom
Annuals, perennials, subshrubs, or shrubs, 50–120+ cm. Stems erect, usually branched. Leaves cauline; all or mostly opposite or mostly alternate; petiolate or sessile; blades 1- or 3-nerved, deltate, lanceolate, lance-elliptic, lance-linear, elliptic-oblong, linear, ovate, or trullate, margins entire or serrate, serrulate, or toothed, faces hirtellous, puberulent, glabrescent, or glabrous (sometimes shiny), sometimes gland-dotted. Heads discoid, in loose to dense, corymbiform arrays. Involucres ± cylindric, (1–)2–3 mm diam. Phyllaries persistent, 5(–6) in ± 1 series, 2–3-nerved, ovate or oblong to lanceolate or linear, ± equal (herbaceous). Receptacles flat or convex, epaleate. Florets 5(–6); corollas purple to pink or white, throats narrowly funnelform (lengths 3–4 times diams., ± hirtellous inside); styles: bases sometimes enlarged, glabrous (sometimes papillose), branches filiform. Cypselae columnar to prismatic or fusiform, 5-ribbed, gland-dotted and/or scabrellous; pappi (sometimes ± vestigial on 1–2 cypselae of each head) persistent, of 5, (distinct or connate) muticous scales plus 0–5[–30+] subulate-aristate to setiform scales or bristles. x = 11, 12, 17.
Species ca. 240 (7 in the flora): w United States, Mexico, Central America, South America.
SELECTED REFERENCE Grashoff, J. L. 1972. A Systematic Study of the North and Central American Species of Stevia. Ph.D. dissertation. University of Texas.
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| 1 |
Annuals |
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1 Stevia micrantha |
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Perennials, subshrubs, or shrubs. |
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(2) |
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| 2 (1) |
Subshrubs or shrubs |
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(3) |
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Perennials |
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(4) |
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| 3 (2) |
Phyllaries densely stipitate-glandular and sparsely villous to hispid; corolla lobeshispidulous |
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2 Stevia lemmonii |
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Phyllaries glabrous, usually viscid-shiny (from resinous exudate of ± evident sunken glands), not villous or hispid; corolla lobes glabrous |
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3 Stevia salicifolia |
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| 4 (2) |
Leaves mostly opposite, blades lanceolate, lance-ovate, oblanceolate, ovate, or trullate; phyllary apices rounded to blunt or obtuse; pappi usually shorter than corollas (sometimes coroniform) |
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(5) |
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Leaves mostly alternate (often with abundant axillary clusters of smaller leaves), blades lance-linear, linear, linear-oblong, narrowly oblanceolate, or oblong; phyllary apices acute to acuminate; pappi usually equaling corollas (sometimes coroniform or 0) |
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(6) |
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| 5 (4) |
Leaves petiolate (raised venation usually including only midvein and primary laterals); involucres 4–5.5(–6) mm |
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4 Stevia ovata |
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Leaves sessile or nearly so (raised venation reticulate, including secondary andtertiary veins); involucres (5.5–)6–8.5 mm |
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5 Stevia plummerae |
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| 6 (4) |
Heads in ± congested, compact clusters; peduncles 0 or 1–4 mm; involucres 5–6(–7)mm; phyllaries sessile-glandular, sparsely villosulous |
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6 Stevia serrata |
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Heads borne in open, subcorymbiform arrays; peduncles mostly 5–30 mm; involu-cres 6–8 mm; phyllaries sessile- and stipitate-glandular (not villous) |
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7 Stevia viscida |
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Lower Taxa
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