| Glycyrrhiza | |
|---|---|
| Glycyrrhiza glabra | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Tribe: | Galegeae |
| Subtribe: | Glycyrrhizinae |
| Genus: | Glycyrrhiza L. |
Glycyrrhiza is a genus of about 18 accepted species in the legume family (Fabaceae), with a subcosmopolitan distribution in Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas.
The genus is best known for liquorice (British English; licorice in American English), G. glabra, a species native to the Mediterranean region, from which the confectionary called Liquorice is produced. Very little G. glabra is grown in North America, but American Licorice G. lepidota is a common native species there. Russian Liquorice (G. echinata) and Chinese Liquorice (G. uralensis; Chinese: 甘草; pinyin: gāncǎo) are also cultivated, the latter being important in traditional Chinese medicine. Also known by following names in these languages: Hindi - mulethi, Sanskrit – yastimadhu, Gujarati name - jethimadh.
Species include[1]: