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Fabaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Glycyrrhiza lepidota

Glycyrrhiza lepidota

Edibility
4/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

Very young growth can be poisonous to animals[1]. Whilst licorice is basically a very safe and effective medicine, when used over a long period or in large quantities it can raise the blood pressure[2]. A gross overdose of the root can cause oedema, high blood pressure and congestive heart failure[3, 4].

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Glycyrrhiza lepidota is a plant of the temperate to subtropical zones of N. America, where it is found at elevations up to 2,100 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 10 - 17°c, but can tolerate 4 - 23°c[2]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -5°c, but young growth is more tender and can be severely damaged at -1°c[2]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 450 - 500mm, but tolerates 350 - 550mm[2]. Considering the plants native range, I find the temperature and rainfall figures given above to be somewhat suspect. The plant is likely to tolerate somewhat higher daytime temperatures, to be considerably more cold tolerant, and to also succeed in areas with considerably more rainfall[PFAF]. Requires a deep well cultivated fertile moisture-retentive soil for good root production[5]. Prefers a sandy soil with abundant moisture[6]. Plants are frequently found in the wild in heavy clay and saline soils[1]. Slightly alkaline conditions produce the best plants[6]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7.5, tolerating 5.5 - 8.5[2]. A very deep-rooted plant, it can be difficult to eradicate once it is established[6]. Unless seed is required, the plant is usually prevented from flowering so that it puts more energy into producing good quality roots[6]. Plants are growing very well at Kew[PFAF]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[5].

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water and then sow spring or autumn in a greenhouse[5]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, and grow them on for their first winter in a greenhouse. Plant out in late spring or early summer when in active growth. Plants are rather slow to grow from seed[6]. Division of the root in spring or autumn. Each division must have at least one growth bud. Autumn divisions can either be replanted immediately or stored in clamps until the spring and then be planted out[5]. It is best to pt up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a cold frame until they are established before planting them out in the spring or summer. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Glycyrrhiza+lepidota>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers — Craighead. J., Craighead. F. and Davis. R. · The Riverside Press · 1963 · ISBN 63-7093 ↩︎Excellent little pocket guide to the area, covering 590 species and often giving details of their uses.
  2. [2]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  3. [3]Edible and Medicinal Plants. — Launert. E. · Hamlyn · 1981 · ISBN 0-600-37216-2 ↩︎Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
  4. [4]A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. — Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. · Wolfe · 1984 · ISBN 0723408394 ↩︎Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.
  5. [5]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  6. [6]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  7. [7]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  8. [8]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
  9. [9]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
  10. [10]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  11. [11]A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. — Usher. G. · Constable · 1974 · ISBN 0094579202 ↩︎Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
  12. [12]Alliums. The Ornamental Onions. — Davies. D. · Batsford · 1992 · ISBN 0-7134-7030-5 ↩︎Covers about 200 species of Alliums. A very short section on their uses, good details of their cultivation needs.
  13. [13]Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World. — Tanaka. T. & Nakao S. · Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo · 1976 · ISBN - ↩︎The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
  14. [14]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  15. [15]The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. — Coffey. T. · Facts on File. · 1993 · ISBN 0-8160-2624-6 ↩︎A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.
  16. [16]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
  17. [17]Native American Ethnobotany — Moerman. D. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 1998 · ISBN 0-88192-453-9 ↩︎Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
  18. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎