Althaea (plant) Althaea (plant) Althaea is a genus of 6–12 species of perennial herbs native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia. It includes "Althaea officinalis", also known as the marshmallow plant, whence the fluffy confection got its name. They are found on the banks of rivers and in salt marshes, preferring moist, sandy soils. The stems grow to 1–2 m tall, and flower in mid summer. The leaves are palmately lobed with 3–7 lobes. "Althaea" species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including "Bucculatrix quadrigemina". The genus formerly included a number of additional species now
Sugar substitute rebaudioside A and erythritol (developed by Cargill and The Coca-Cola Company), as well as PureVia (developed by PepsiCo and the Whole Earth Sweetener Company, a subsidiary of Merisant), both of which use rebaudioside A derived from the stevia plant. In Australia, the brand Vitarium uses Natvia, a natural stevia sweetener, in a range of sugar-free children's milk mixes. The world's most commonly used artificial sweetener, sucralose is a chlorinated sugar that is about 600 times as sweet as sugar. It is produced from sucrose when three chlorine atoms replace three hydroxyl groups. It is used in beverages, frozen desserts, chewing