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What is "licorice weed"

The Collaborative International Dictionary
Licorice weed

Licorice \Lic"o*rice\ (l[i^]k"[-o]*r[i^]s), n. [OE. licoris, through old French, fr. L. liquiritia, corrupted fr. glycyrrhiza, Gr. glyky`rriza; glyky`s sweet + "ri`za root. Cf. Glycerin, Glycyrrhiza, Wort.] [Written also liquorice.]

  1. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Glycyrrhiza ( Glycyrrhiza glabra), the root of which abounds with a sweet juice, and is much used in demulcent compositions.

  2. The inspissated juice of licorice root, used as a confection and for medicinal purposes. Licorice fern (Bot.), a name of several kinds of polypody which have rootstocks of a sweetish flavor. Licorice sugar. (Chem.) See Glycyrrhizin. Licorice weed (Bot.), the tropical plant Scapania dulcis. Mountain licorice (Bot.), a kind of clover ( Trifolium alpinum), found in the Alps. It has large purplish flowers and a sweetish perennial rootstock. Wild licorice. (Bot.)

    1. The North American perennial herb Glycyrrhiza lepidota.

    2. Certain broad-leaved cleavers ( Galium circ[ae]zans and Galium lanceolatum).

    3. The leguminous climber Abrus precatorius, whose scarlet and black seeds are called black-eyed Susans. Its roots are used as a substitute for those of true licorice ( Glycyrrhiza glabra).