Prairie Wildflowers and Grasses of North Dakota

Late-Summer Wildflowers

Chris Grondahl photo: Wild licorice (inset shows flower's "burr-like seeds")
Chris Grondahl Wild licorice
(Glycyrrhiza lepidota)
Distribution: statewide
Habitat: common in moister prairie areas, along streams, depressions and wetland edges
Flowers: yellow-white in color, arranged in spikes
Height: 18-36 inches, appears shrubby, old stems become woody
Blooms: June and August
Family name: Legume (Fabaceae)
Other names: American licorice
Plant uses and other interesting facts: Deer eat the foliage, birds and rodents eat the seeds. Plains Indians used the roots in tea for flu and upset stomachs. Seeds are burr-like and cling to clothes and fur.

Previous Flower -- Rocky Mountain bee-plant
Return to Late-Summer Wildflowers
Next Flower -- Pink wild onion