Wild Licorice

Traditional Cree name: sîwaskwân

Latin name: Glycyrrhiza lepidota

Common names: licorice, american licorice, sweet herb

Family: Fabaceae (Pea family)

Kingdom: Plantae

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Oki, Âba wathtech, Dānít’ádā, Tansi, Hello

Hidden deep amongst the grasses along the pathway, roadsides and ditches you may just pass me by. My green compound leaves on my low lying plant body are different than most but I tend blend in, until I don’t… When my pale yellow to white flowers bloom you may begin to take notice. 

My spike like clusters of compound flowers begin to bloom in July and turn to brown spiky hooked seed pods in the fall. My smart design helps me travel to new homes and spread my seeds, usually thanks unknowingly to your pant leg or dogs fur. 

My name, sîwaskwân in nêhiyawêwin (cree language), means one sweet herb. And sweet I am, my long roots are said to be 50 times sweeter than sugar! Traditionally I have been used as a medicinal plant and due to my long root systems a perfect addition to banks to stabilize the earth around me. 

It’s good to meet you 

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