Bloomipedia
Wild licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota)
Photo: Jo Roberts via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Wild licorice

Glycyrrhiza lepidota

Wild licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota) is a flowering plant in the Fabaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly May–July across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Wild licorice is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 6 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–July.

31states where USDA records it
6Bloomipedia state lists include it
6,743U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming

Quick look

Glycyrrhiza lepidota is a species of Glycyrrhiza native to most of North America, from central Canada south through the United States to California, Texas and Virginia, but absent from the southeastern states. It is also sometimes known in the United States as "wild licorice", to distinguish it from the related European licorice which is occasionally cultivated.

  • It belongs to the Fabaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 31 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming and Nebraska. NatureServe
  • In Colorado, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–July. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as white. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as late spring. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 4 ft. USDA PLANTS
  • iNaturalist has 2,070 research-grade sightings of it in Colorado, ranking #80 among the 160 flowers on our Colorado list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 531 research-grade sightings of it in Montana, ranking #83 among the 128 flowers on our Montana list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 504 research-grade sightings of it in South Dakota, ranking #19 among the 126 flowers on our South Dakota list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (536 records)
Bloom time in the 6 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
ColoradoNativeJune–July2,070
MontanaNativefew records (28)531
South DakotaNativefew records (25)504
North DakotaNativefew records (32)391
WyomingNativefew records (21)299
NebraskaNativefew records (19)239

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
Colorado
No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Colorado.
Montana
No list Montana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Montana ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Montana.
South Dakota
No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.
North Dakota
No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
Wyoming
No list Wyoming has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Wyoming ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Wyoming.
Nebraska
Not listed Not on Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nebraska. 163 NAC 4-004
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: MO (S1), NY (SX), WI (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records wild licorice in 31 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Colorado counties with USDA records: Adams, Alamosa, Archuleta, Baca, Boulder, Cheyenne, Crowley, Custer, Delta, Eagle, El Paso, Garfield, Grand, Gunnison, Jefferson, Kiowa, Kit Carson, La Plata, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Mesa, Mineral, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Otero, Pitkin, Prowers, Pueblo, Saguache, Sedgwick, Weld, Yuma.

Montana counties with USDA records: Big Horn, Blaine, Carbon, Carter, Cascade, Chouteau, Custer, Daniels, Dawson, Fallon, Fergus, Flathead, Gallatin, Garfield, Granite, Hill, Lake, Liberty, Lincoln, Madison, McCone, Mineral, Missoula, Park, Petroleum, Phillips, Pondera, Powder River, Powell, Prairie, Ravalli, Richland, Roosevelt, Rosebud, Sanders, Sheridan, Silver Bow, Stillwater, Teton, Toole, Treasure, Valley, Wibaux, Yellowstone.

South Dakota counties with USDA records: Aurora, Beadle, Bennett, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Brule, Buffalo, Butte, Campbell, Charles Mix, Clay, Codington, Corson, Custer, Day, Douglas, Fall River, Gregory, Harding, Hughes, Hutchinson, Hyde, Jackson, Jones, Kingsbury, Lake, Lawrence, Lincoln, Lyman, Marshall, McPherson, Mellette, Minnehaha, Pennington, Perkins, Stanley, Sully, Todd, Turner, Union, Walworth.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Wild licorice a medium shade tolerance, none drought tolerance and high moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 5.5 to 8.0 and winter lows down to -38 °F.

Shade tolerance
Medium
Drought tolerance
None
Moisture use
High
Soil textures it is adapted to
medium, fine
Soil pH range
5.5 to 8.0
Minimum temperature tolerated
-38 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum)
120
Annual precipitation range
14 to 40 inches
Minimum root depth
12 inches
Salinity tolerance
None
Fertility requirement
Medium
Growth rate
Moderate
Lifespan
Moderate
Active growth period
Spring and Summer
Fruit or seed
Brown · Spring to Summer
Can be propagated by
seed
Commercial availability
Contracting Only

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for GLLE3. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Glycyrrhiza glutinosa.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 623 counties across 25 states; the most are in Kansas (88), North Dakota (49), Minnesota (48).

More from the Fabaceae family (114 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Lupines, White clover, Red clover, Eastern redbud, Purple crownvetch, Bird's-foot trefoil, Partridge pea, White sweetclover.

More Colorado flowers

Lambert's locoweed (Oxytropis lambertii)

Lambert's locoweed

Oxytropis lambertii

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🌼 Blooms in CO: May–July
Yellow sweetclover (Melilotus officinalis)

Yellow sweetclover

Melilotus officinalis

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in CO: May–August
Red clover (Trifolium pratense)

Red clover

Trifolium pratense

★ VT state flowerIntroduced

🌼 Blooms in CO: June–September

Sources