genus Stevia

7.7

A group of small shrubs and herbs from the Americas with sweet leaves used as sweeteners

noun
/ˈdʒɛnəs ˈstɛviə/

Specialized

: género Stevia

Many species in the genus Stevia are cultivated for herbal teas and sweeteners.

Examples

Plants belonging to the genus Stevia are known for their natural sweetening properties.
Botanists have classified over 200 species into the genus Stevia.
The genus Stevia includes plants known for their sweet leaves.
Many farmers cultivate genus Stevia for its natural sweetness.
Many species in the genus Stevia are cultivated for herbal teas and sweeteners.
Botanists have classified over 200 species into the genus Stevia.
Plants belonging to the genus Stevia are known for their natural sweetening properties.

Synonyms

stevia

vsgenus Stevia

4 4.4

A plant with very sweet leaves and the sweetener made from those leaves

is the scientific group of related shrubs and herbs from the Americas

Surface Forms

genus Stevia singular

genera Stevia plural

Morphology

genus + stevia

This phrase is fully compositional: 'genus' (a biological rank grouping related species) combined with 'Stevia' (the plant name) yields the taxonomic group of species called Stevia. The noun-noun taxonomic construction is regular and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand the meaning.

Etymology

Genus Stevia may come from the last name of a Spanish doctor or botanist, whose name was Latinized as 'Stevia'. Many plants in the genus Stevia have very sweet leaves, so the name now refers to this group of shrubs and herbs used as natural sweeteners.