Licorice Milkvetch: A European Perennial Finding Its Place in North American Gardens
If you’ve ever caught a whiff of something sweet and licorice-like while walking through a meadow or naturalized area, you might have encountered licorice milkvetch (Astragalus glycyphyllos). This intriguing perennial legume has quietly made itself at home in parts of North America, though it originally hails from much farther away.
What Exactly Is Licorice Milkvetch?
Licorice milkvetch is a sprawling perennial plant that belongs to the pea family. True to its name, parts of the plant have a subtle licorice fragrance and flavor. This hardy European native has established itself in several North American locations, creating colonies of low-growing, nitrogen-fixing plants that can persist for years.
Where You’ll Find It Growing
While licorice milkvetch originally comes from Europe and western Asia, it has naturalized in scattered locations across North America. In the United States, you can find established populations in Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. It has also made its home in Ontario, Canada. These populations have successfully reproduced and persisted without human intervention.
The Garden Appeal (Or Lack Thereof)
Let’s be honest – licorice milkvetch isn’t going to win any beauty contests. This plant has a distinctly wild, somewhat weedy appearance that might charm naturalists but could leave formal gardeners scratching their heads. Here’s what you can expect:
- Sprawling, prostrate growth habit that hugs the ground
- Compound leaves made up of small, oval leaflets
- Clusters of small purple to violet pea-like flowers in summer
- Seed pods that develop after flowering
- Overall height rarely exceeding 12-18 inches
Why Consider Growing It?
While licorice milkvetch may not be the showstopper of your garden, it does offer some practical benefits:
- Nitrogen fixation: Like other legumes, it adds nitrogen to the soil
- Pollinator support: The flowers attract bees and other beneficial insects
- Low maintenance: Once established, it requires minimal care
- Ground cover: Its spreading habit can help cover bare areas
- Drought tolerance: Well-suited to drier conditions once established
Growing Conditions and Care
If you decide to grow licorice milkvetch, you’ll find it’s refreshingly undemanding:
- Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil: Well-drained soils; tolerates poor, sandy conditions
- Water: Drought tolerant once established; avoid overwatering
- Hardiness: Suitable for USDA zones 3-8
- Maintenance: Minimal pruning or care needed
The Non-Native Reality Check
Here’s something important to consider: licorice milkvetch is not native to North America. While it’s currently established in several states and doesn’t appear to be aggressively invasive, introducing non-native plants always carries some ecological risk. As responsible gardeners, it’s worth asking whether there might be native alternatives that could provide similar benefits.
Native Alternatives to Consider
If you’re drawn to the idea of a nitrogen-fixing legume ground cover, consider these native options instead:
- Wild lupine (Lupinus perennis): Stunning blue flower spikes and important host plant for butterflies
- Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata): Bright yellow flowers and excellent wildlife value
- Wild senna (Senna hebecarpa): Taller option with cheerful yellow blooms
- American groundnut (Apios americana): Climbing vine with fragrant, reddish-brown flowers
Best Garden Settings
If you do choose to grow licorice milkvetch, it works best in:
- Naturalized meadow gardens
- Low-maintenance landscape areas
- Soil improvement projects (thanks to nitrogen fixation)
- Areas where you want informal ground cover
- Gardens designed to attract pollinators
The Bottom Line
Licorice milkvetch is one of those plants that falls into the interesting but not essential category. It’s hardy, low-maintenance, and provides some ecological benefits, but its non-native status and modest appearance make it a questionable choice when so many beautiful native alternatives exist. If you’re already managing an area where it’s established, there’s no urgent need to remove it – but for new plantings, consider giving native species the starring role in your garden instead.
Remember, every plant we choose is a vote for the kind of ecosystem we want to support. While licorice milkvetch isn’t harmful, choosing native plants whenever possible helps create stronger, more resilient landscapes that truly belong in our local environment.
