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]
^"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.
^Parsons, WT; Cuthbertson, EG (2001).
Noxious Weeds of Australia, 2nd ed. Collingswood, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. p. 309.
ISBN978-0-643-06514-7..This reference refers specifically to Stevia eupatoria, a related weed having the same nomenclature origin.