Licorice Fern

The Licorice Fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza) is a charming little evergreen fern of the mossy Northwest woods — arching, deep-green fronds that spring straight from tree trunks, logs, and rocks — whose creeping rhizome tastes vividly of sweet licorice.^1, 2

Reminder: They are dormant (no leaves) during the Summer.

NOTE: Ferns may arrive with fronds dormant or trimmed — fresh growth follows.

Edible & Medicinal Uses

The reddish, creeping rhizome tastes of sweet licorice and anise — the name glycyrrhiza means "sweet root."⁴ It has long been chewed as a sweet woodland treat and breath-freshener, used to sweeten foods and to mask bitter medicines, and valued as a remedy for coughs, colds, and sore throats — the cough drop of its day, used raw, boiled, or baked. Modern herbalists use it in much the same way.³ It's a flavoring and a medicine more than a staple food — traditional use, not medical advice.

Ornamental Qualities

Licorice Fern forms lush mats of gracefully arching, triangular, once-divided fronds, ten to twelve inches long (sometimes to two feet), with finely toothed leaflets.¹ It's a winter-green wonder: fresh and green from fall through spring, then summer-deciduous, dying back in the dry season and reviving with the autumn rains. It's magical draped over a mossy log, stump, rock wall, or shady nook — and a lovely container or bark-mounted subject.²

Environment & Culture

Ecology: Native to moist coastal forests from Alaska to central California and the Columbia Gorge, at low elevations, Licorice Fern is famously an epiphyte on the mossy trunks and branches of bigleaf maple — and also grows on logs, stumps, rocks, and mossy ground.¹ Its winter-green habit brings life to the forest through the grey, wet months.²

Culture: Licorice Fern is chewed and valued by many coastal peoples — among them the Squamish, shishalh (Sechelt), Comox, Nuxalk, Haida, and Kwakwaka'wakw — for its sweet rhizome and as a medicine for coughs and sore throats.⁴ Because the mossy beds it grows in are fragile, growing your own is far kinder than harvesting from the wild. We offer it with respect for that living knowledge and invite support for Indigenous-led restoration through our Charitable Giving page.³

In the Garden & Kitchen

Grow it on a mossy log or shaded rock for its beauty, and for a taste, slice a small piece of the sweet rhizome to chew like nature's own licorice, or steep it into a mild, sweet, throat-soothing tea. A little goes a long way. (Growing details are on the Planting Guide tab.)

Attributes

• Native Range: Alaska to central California & Columbia Gorge; moist coastal forest¹
• USDA Zones: ~6–9²
• Light: Part shade to full shade¹
• Water: Moist fall–spring; summer-dormant (dislikes stagnant "wet feet")²
• Soil: Humus-rich, well-drained; mossy logs, rocks, or ground¹
• Habit: Semi-evergreen fern, ~1 ft; creeping rhizome²
• Edible/Medicinal: Sweet licorice rhizome (chew, tea, flavoring)⁴

References

1. Wikipedia & Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Polypodium glycyrrhiza; Washington Native Plant Society.
2. Pojar, J. & MacKinnon, A., Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, 2014; CalFlora Nursery.
3. Moerman, D., Native American Ethnobotany, 1998.
4. Calflora / University of Puget Sound Natural History (glycyrrhiza = "sweet root"; Indigenous use).

Pot Sizing Guide