LICORICE, or LIQUORICE (OF. licorice, from Lat. liquiritia, corrupted from glyeyrrhiza, Gk. 7Xwapptj'a, glykyrrhiza, licori•e-plant, from .),Xvio. glykys, sweet, rhiza, root), Gly eyrrhiza. A genus of perennial herbs of the nat ural order Leguminostc. the members of which have long, pliant, sweet roots, and generally creeping rootstocks; odd-pinnate leaves of many leaflets; flowers in spikes, racemes, or heads. The roots are valuable because of a yellow trans parent, uncrystallizable substance called glycyr rhizin, allied to sugar, soluble in both water 'and alcohol, and forming compounds with both acids and bases, and used in medicine. The common licorice (GI yeyrrhiz-a glabra), native of the south of Europe and of many parts of Asia, has stems three to four feet high, and racemes of whitish violet-colored flowers. It is cultivated in many parts of Europe, chiefly in Spain and Russia. It has been grown to a limited extent in Louisiana, and California. The routs are ex tensivel• employed by po•ter-brewers. They are
imported into the United States in considerable quantity, and the black concentrated extract of them (black sugar or stick licorice) is largely imported from the south of Europe. in rolls or sticks, packed in bay-leaves. After a plantation has been made, almost three years must elapse before the roots can be dug for use. Licorice re quires a deep, rich, loose soil, well manured. The roots penetrate to the depth of more than a straight tap-roots are most esteemed. The plant is propagated by cuttings of the rootstalks. but when once planted the ground will be stocked for many years because the small pieces of root left after digging will grow. The plant is likely to prove a pest upon land suitable to its growth. The roots of the prickly licorice (Glycyrrhiza rehinatal are used in the same way, chiefly in Italy and Sicily. Russia, and the East.