Wild Licorice

Plant Info

Also known as:	American Licorice
Scientific name:	Glycyrrhiza lepidota
Family:	Pea (Fabaceae)
Life cycle:	perennial
Origin:	native
Habitat:	sun; moist fields, prairies
Bloom season:	late spring, summer
Plant height:	12 to 40 inches
USDA PLANTS database:	Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:	Long Lake Regional Park

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Detailed Information

Flower:

Spike cluster, generally cone-shaped, 1 to 2 inches long of irregular flowers. Color is white, cream, or pale yellow. One plant may have several clusters. The flower stem arises from the leaf axils.

Leaves:

Leaves are compound in groups of 11 to 19 leaflets. Individual leaflets are up to 1½ inches long and ½ wide, tapering to pointed or slightly rounded tips. Leaves are toothless, and often fold up some from the central vein.

Fruit:

Each flower is replaced by a green pod covered in hooked bristles. As the pods ripen, the color changes to copper, then a deep brown. The pods remain through the winter (see photo below). This photo was taken near the end of July.

More photos

• full-size plant, about 2 feet tall
• Wild Licorice in winter (photo taken in March)

Unless otherwise noted, photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN, June 2007

Comments

Have you seen this plant in Ramsey County, or have any other comments about it?

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Please: Do not ask about where to buy seed or other gardening questions, are plants edible, etc. I am not a horticulturist or botanist, just an enthusiastic hobbyist so I probably don't know the answer. Please check the links page for additional resources. -thanks much

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