wild licorice close up

Wild Licorice – Plant

LATIN NAME
Glycyrrhiza lepidota

LONGEVITY
Perennial

SEASON
Warm

ORIGIN
Native

DETAILS:

  • Growth 1 to 4 feet tall
  • Flowers May to August
  • Roots can go down 8 to 10 feet.
  • Will form dense colonies; reproduces by rhizomes and seeds.
  • Deer will consume the leaves, and upland birds will eat the seeds.
  • The Pawnee and Dakota used an infusion of wild licorice leaves to treat ear aches and gave a decoction of the root to alleviate children’s fevers. The Lakota would chew the root to soothe toothaches.
  • Adapted to moist open sites such as prairie draws, ravines, and stream banks.

QUALITY TRAITS