Definition

Noun: 1. A perennial plant: "wild liquorice" refers to a specific herbaceous plant species (Galium boreale or Astragalus glycyphyllos) native to Europe and North America. It is noted for having a root that shares some properties with true liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), such as a sweet taste, but it is a botanically distinct species.

Usage Notes

• The term "wild liquorice" is a common name used to identify specific plants that are not true liquorice but resemble it in some characteristics, primarily the taste of their root.
• It is important to distinguish it from "liquorice" or "licorice," which refers specifically to , the plant used commercially for flavoring.

Examples

• Noun:
  • We found patches of wild liquorice growing at the edge of the forest.
  • The herbalist explained that wild liquorice can be used as a mild sweetener, similar to its cultivated cousin.

Advanced Usage

• Botanical Context: In botanical or foraging guides, "wild liquorice" serves as a key identifier for foragers and naturalists to recognize these specific species and understand their differences from true liquorice.

Variants and Related Words

• Wild licorice: An alternative spelling. The words "liquorice" and "licorice" are used interchangeably in common names.
• Northern bedstraw (): One of the plant species commonly called "wild liquorice."
• Licorice milk-vetch (): Another plant species known as "wild liquorice."

Synonyms

• False licorice: A term sometimes used to emphasize it is not the true liquorice plant.
• Northern wild licorice: A more specific variant of the common name.

Notes on Different Meanings

• The definition provided is specific to the botanical common name. "Wild liquorice" does not refer to an untamed form of the commercial liquorice plant, but to entirely different species with a similar property (sweet root).

Noun

1. European perennial
2. North American plant similar to true licorice and having a root with similar properties