Licorice ferns grow on fallen logs, tree trunks, rocks, or on the ground in mossy beds where their roots can be protected. They are considered summer-deciduous here—with the lack of rainfall during the summer, these plants die back. The first rains at the end of summer or the beginning of fall will awaken the new leaves.
They grow from a rhizome that is usually tucked into a bed of moss where it is protected and kept moist. The rhizome has a licorice flavor which is unrelated to the other plants that have a licorice taste such as star anise, fennel, or licorice. Daniel Mathew writes, “In the Northwest, licorice fern rhizomes were sucked by hungry hunters or berry pickers along the trail, or fed before meals to finicky young eaters. In quantity they may prove laxative, but most people find them too bitter to eat in quantity.”
On the mossy log in the last photo, you can see leftover stems where some animal has been eating the new, unfurling leaves at the end. There is no mention in any of my field guides of the leaves or the early shoots being edible for people.
I love the beautiful patterns they make as they grow and overlap in a carpet of lush green on the ground or cascade down the side of a tree. Their vibrant spring green in the fall is uplifting to my spirit as the light wanes into winter.
Resources
Mathews, Daniel. Cascade-Olympic Natural History. Raven Editions in conjunction with the Audubon Society of Portland, 1988.
