Wild Licorice: White flowers, spiny seeds

Wild Licorice   © SB

First lesson, in wildflowers: Not all are pretty, in a conventional garden sense.

Take Wild Licorice, for example.

This slender, sprawling bush has short-lived white flowers with a strong greenish cast.

Not my ideal for a dining room bouquet. (Not that I pick any wildflowers...)

Second lesson, this time in native plants:

Even insects may notice and prefer the seed pods. Like this Meadowhawk Dragonfly, below.

(And people may prefer the roots, which in the case of Wild Licorice, are said to have a sweet licorice flavour.)

Spiny Wild Licorice seed pods
with Meadowhawk Dragonfly © SB

Prairie Wildflower: Wild Licorice

Location: Condie Nature Refuge, near Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Photo Dates: Flower, July 7, 2012; seeds, August 28, 2011.   

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