Perennial herbs, with thick sweet roots, odd-pinnate leaves, and blue or white flowers in axillary spikes or heads. Calyx-teeth nearly equal, the two upper sometimes partly united. Standard narrowly ovate or oblong, short-clawed; wings oblong, acutish; keel acute or obtuse, shorter than the wings. Stamens mainly diadelphous; anthers alternately smaller and longer. Pod sessile, covered with prickles or glands, nearly indehiscent, continuous between the seeds. [Greek, sweet-root]

About 15 species, natives of the north temperate zone, southern South America and Australia. Besides the following, another occurs in California. Type species: Glycyrrhiza echinata L.

1. Glycyrrhiza Lepidòta Pursh. Wild Or American Licorice

Fig. 2569

Liquivitia lepidota Nutt. in Fraser's Cat. Hyponym. 1813.

Glycyrrhiza lepidota Pursh, Fl. Am. Sept. 480. 1814.

Erect, branching, 1°-3° high, the foliage with minute scales or glands. Stipules lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, acute, a'-3" long, deciduous; leaves pe-tioled; leaflets 11-19, lanceolate, or oblong, acute or obtuse and mucronate at the apex, rounded or narrowed at the base, entire, very short-stalked, io"-i8" long, 3"-6" wide; peduncles much shorter than the leaves; spikes dense, many-flowered, 1'-2' long, about 9" thick; flowers yellowish-white, 6" long; calyx-teeth slender, longer than the tube; pod about 6" long, few-seeded, oblong, densely covered with hooked prickles.

Hudson Bay to Minnesota, Saskatchewan, Washington, Iowa, Missouri, Chihuahua and Arizona. Locally in waste grounds farther east. May-Aug. Licorice-root.