Wildflower (forb) · Fabaceae

American licorice

Glycyrrhiza lepidota

American licorice is recorded as native to 26 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 623 counties of those states by USDA PLANTS.

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

Key facts · USDA PLANTS

American licorice at a glance

Native in: 623 counties, across 26 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 3b PLANTS minimum temperature −38°F
Mature height: 4 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water: Sun to part shade High water use

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 3b. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of −38°F; zone 3b winters bottom out at −35°F, the coldest half-zone that stays within that limit.

Counties where it is native

The 15 counties with the most ZIP codes among the 623 where it is listed.

Native counties by state

Arizona 6 counties
California 34 counties
Colorado 35 counties
Connecticut statewide record
Idaho 27 counties
Illinois 11 counties
Iowa 13 counties
Kansas 88 counties
Massachusetts 3 counties
Minnesota 48 counties
Missouri 11 counties
Montana 44 counties
Nebraska 44 counties
Nevada 7 counties
New Mexico 26 counties
New York 3 counties
North Dakota 49 counties
Oklahoma 22 counties
Oregon 14 counties
Pennsylvania 1 county
South Dakota 42 counties
Texas 26 counties
Utah 25 counties
Washington 12 counties
Wisconsin 12 counties
Wyoming 20 counties

Growing traits

Values from the PLANTS characteristics record. “Not recorded” means PLANTS has no value; nothing here is estimated except the zone.

Growth

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Duration: Perennial
Mature height: 4 ft
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth form: Single Crown
Shape: Erect
Lifespan: Moderate
Active growth period: Spring and Summer

Light and water

Shade tolerance: Intermediate (sun to part shade)
Moisture use: High water use
Drought tolerance: None
Tolerance of waterlogged soil: High
Precipitation range: 14 to 40 in per year

Soil

Soil textures: Medium and fine
pH range: 5.5 to 8
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: Medium
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: Medium
Minimum root depth: 12 in

Climate

Minimum temperature: −38°F
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 3b and warmer
Minimum frost-free days: 120
Fire tolerance: Medium

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color: White
Showy flowers: Yes
Bloom period: Late Spring
Foliage color: Green
Showy in fall: Yes
Keeps leaves: No
Fruit color: Brown

Other

Toxicity: None
Nitrogen fixation: Low
Nursery availability: Contracting Only
Family: Fabaceae
PLANTS symbol: GLLE3

Source & data date

Source: USDA NRCS PLANTS Database: county distribution records, native status and plant characteristics. CC0 (public domain dedication, per the data.gov catalog record).; Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): native or introduced status by state. CC BY 3.0.; USGS US-RIIS (ver. 2.0): species listed as introduced are excluded. CC0.
Citation: USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov, 11/04/2026). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.; Govaerts R. (ed.) (2026). WCVP: World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Data file dated 2026-06-04, http://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/ (retrieved 2026-11-04). Paper: Govaerts R. et al. (2021) The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. Scientific Data 8, 215.
Data date: Retrieved from PLANTS on November 4, 2026; WCVP data file dated June 4, 2026.
Scope: Glycyrrhiza lepidota (PLANTS symbol GLLE3).
Method: A species is listed when it is recorded as native to the state in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in the county by USDA PLANTS. Species PLANTS labels both native and introduced are listed separately. Full method · All sources

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