Stevia rebaudiana is both an herb garden curiosity and a commercially important crop, grown in its native Brazil and Paraguay for the steviol glycosides concentrated in its thin, oval leaves. The plant reaches 1 to 2 feet tall with slightly serrated foliage and produces small white tubular flowers in clusters of two to six florets from July into August. The daisy family connection is evident in those blooms. In the garden, it grows best in full sun with moist, well-drained, slightly acidic, organically rich soil, and appreciates feeding every four to six weeks through the growing season.

In most of North America, Sweet Leaf is grown as an annual, brought in before frost or started fresh each season from stem cuttings or seed. The harvest window opens around 90 days after planting, just as flowering begins; pruning the flower buds improves leaf flavor and extends the harvest. Cut stems about 6 inches above the ground, dry the leaves, and store them in an airtight container. Dried leaves are sweeter than fresh. The plant is tender in all but zones 10 and 11, but it earns its container or herb-garden spot as a living source of sweetening that needs no processing beyond drying and grinding.