To recognize Wild licorice, look for upright stems with odd-pinnate leaves made of many narrow leaflets, usually 9 to 17, arranged in opposite pairs with one terminal leaflet.
It also shows dense, spike-like clusters of small pale flowers from the leaf axils and later forms short, curved pods covered in hooked bristles.
Check your plant ID by uploading a clear photo to Botan.
Clear images work best. Avoid photos taken too close or too far away
Check the plant’s compound leaves, upright stems, flowers, and pods.
The bur-like pods are one of the quickest visual clues for Glycyrrhiza lepidota.
Wild licorice shows clear visual shifts from early leafy shoots to distinctive flowers and pods.
In spring, Wild licorice emerges from the ground as fresh green shoots and quickly develops compound leaves, making patches much easier to spot after winter dormancy. Late spring into summer is the most useful season for identification, when dense spikes of pale flowers become visible, followed by small burr-like seed pods that often remain noticeable after flowering.
A few legume relatives can be mistaken for Wild licorice at a glance.
American vetch(Vicia americana)
Both have pinnate leaves and purple pea-like flowers. American vetch usually has a branched tendril at the leaf tip, not a terminal leaflet, and its pods are smoother and lack the dense prickly burs seen on licorice fruit.
Canada milkvetch(Astragalus canadensis)
This prairie legume also forms upright clumps with many leaflets and pale flower spikes. It differs by having longer, narrower flower clusters and inflated smooth pods, rather than short spikes followed by burr-like pods.
Glycyrrhiza lepidota is native to much of North America, especially the Great Plains, western and central United States, and parts of southern Canada. Its range helps separate it from similar pea-family plants when it appears far from these regions. It is most often found in prairies, open meadows, streambanks, roadsides, and other moist to seasonally wet disturbed ground. Seeing it in open grassland or near water is a useful clue, especially in inland plains habitats.
Confirm Your Plant Species
Use Botan to double-check your plant ID
Upload a photo to Botan to identify it or confirm the match before spending time on the wrong plant.
Look for an upright perennial with pinnate leaves, short dense spikes of small pale flowers, and very distinctive seed pods covered in hooked prickles. Those burr-like pods are the easiest clue when identifying Wild licorice.
Use a photo with Botan to identify the plant, then get plant details, care information, and common problems.
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