liquorice

Also known as Glycyrrhiza glabra

Liquorice (Commonwealth English) or licorice (American English; see spelling differences; ) is the common name of Glycyrrhiza glabra, a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, from the root of which a sweet, aromatic flavouring is extracted.

OverviewAI-generated

Glycyrrhiza glabra, commonly known as cultivated licorice or Anatolian liquorice root, is a species within the genus Glycyrrhiza. It belongs to the family Fabaceae and is classified as a herb and useful plant. The taxon is also referred to by common names such as lékořice lysá, сладунец, and 洋甘草, and is sometimes identified as wild licorice.

The species has uses as a food source and a medicinal plant, serving as the source of licorice candy. Its range includes Xinjiang. The IUCN conservation status is listed as Least Concern, with a record from 2021. Descriptions of the taxon appear in sources including the Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition, Pauly–Wissowa, and the New International Encyclopedia.

Synthesized by Vinony from 31 facts across 6 sources: Wikidata, IUCN Red List, iNaturalist, Encyclopedia of Life, Plants of the World, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Least Concern

Wild Licorice

species

FamilyFabaceae

Native toAfghanistan, Albania, Bulgaria, Central European Russia, China North-Central, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Italy

Observations10,955

Ver.

via IUCN · Kew POWO

~10 min read

Encyclopedic overview

17 sections

Contents

Etymology
Description
Chemistry
Cultivation and uses
Tobacco
Food and confectionery
Research
Traditional medicine
Fungicide
Adverse effects
Consumption levels
Physiological effects
Potential for toxicity
Pregnancy
Gallery
References
External links

The liquorice plant is an herbaceous perennial legume native to West Asia, Tropical Asia, North Africa, and Southern Europe. Liquorice is used as a flavouring in confectionery, tobacco, beverages, and pharmaceuticals, and is marketed as a dietary supplement.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “liquorice” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.