Wild licorice, a shrub of wild licorice, is 25~80 cm tall and hairless. The roots are thick. The stems are erect, branched and lignified at the lower part. Small leaves, opposite whorls, lanceolate to elliptic or obovate, 5 ~ 20mm long, short petiole, short tip and serrated edge. Flowers small, numerous, white, solitary or paired; Sepals 4, ovoid-oblong, ca. 2 mm long; Corolla radial, 4-lobed, lobes elliptic, flower diameter 4~5 mm, throat hairy; Stamens 4, anthers arrow-shaped, yellow-green; Pistil 1, slender style, discoid stigma. Capsule ovoid to spherical, 2~3 mm in diameter, persistent style, cracking after maturity. The flowering period is between summer and autumn.