Plants - Specimen details
| Catalogue Number: 51723 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Image | Plant Name | 88.00 COMPOSITAE Stevia rebaudiana | Entry Book Number | 21.1919 | |
| Artefact Name | Plants | Vernacular Name | |||
| Iso Country | Paraguay | TDWG Region | Paraguay | ||
| Parts Held | Plants | Geography Description | Paraguay | ||
| Uses | PlantsUse: User: Not defined | TDWG use | |||
| Storage | Bottles, boxes etc | Related Items | |||
| Donor | Wilks, MA Rev W | Donor No | |||
| Donor Date | Donor Notes | F Oliver, Asuncion, Paraguayx0Dx0A | |||
| Collector | Collector No | ||||
| Collection Notes | Collection Date | ||||
| Exhibition | Expedition | ||||
| Number Components | Publication | ||||
| Notes: | Label source: Letter 164, 1919. xiii, Rev W Wilks MA, Sec, Royal Hort Soc to Director. There seem to be 2 forms, a slender purplish form, and a stouter green one. There seems no difference in the flowers. Comm Wilks, from F Oliver. Opuscular source: F, rom Asuncion, Dec. 6th, 1919 from Oliver to Sperling, Your letter of 10.10 only reached me today. I will try to get you some seed of the caa ehe, but I fear that it may be difficult to do so. I took some pains before the war to obtain large samples and, info regarding this plant on behalf of a firm in Stratford on Avon (F Kendall & son Ltd). I sent out an expedition and obtained a hundredweight or so of dried plants with which there were some seed. If Messrs Kendall tried to grow it, which is probable, , and have been successful, they may be able to give you some seed. I suggest this as the speediest way of obtaining seed, if poss. At the time I speak of I sent some live plants, brought back by my expedition to the Bot Gard. here, but do not at prese, nt know how they have fared, because the Director of that institution is a German, a Professor of Botany. I will make enquiry. This is one of the many of the Stevia family, and the only one that has the remarkable sweet property. This property is said, to be due to the presence of the same substance as accounts for the sweetness of licorice, but it is present in a far more concentrated form. I enclose a few leaves which I have had by me for the last 5 years. The man I sent out on behalf of Messrs Kend, all reported that the plant grows along the base of the Amambay Range of hills and probably both N & S of the River Apa. It appears to be very sensitive to cold and does not occur S of the tropical part of the country. It grows singly or in groups of 2,, 3 or 4 plants together among a long grass called ypagare. It has often been said to grow in a great profusion in those regions, but this is not the case. It is found in a rich black sandy soil and never more than 100 yards from running water or swamp.(, Signed Oliver) Letter 2 sent March, 8, 1919. I received a fortnight ago your letter of Jan 9, but send you a small quantity of the seed of the caa ehe which has just reached me. There seems to be different in separating it from the plant without listin, g it or destroying it, so I send it as it came to me. I understand that attempts made to cult it here have been disappointing and am afraid that the tropical character of the plant will render its cultivation at home doubtful. I am sending a sample to th, e Bot Gard at Cairo, where I have from time to time send the seeds of other plants indigenous to Paraguay. It will be interesting to see if they can make anything of it. Signed - Oliver. | ||||