胀果甘草 zhang guo gan cao

Glycyrrhiza eurycarpa P. C. Li; G. hediniana Harms; G. paucifoliolata Hance.

Herbs, perennial. Roots and rhizomes strong. Stem 50-150 cm tall, woody at base. Leaves 4-20 cm, 3-7(or 9)-foliolate; stipules caducous, brown, triangular-lanceolate, small, ca. 1 mm; petiole densely brown glandular punctate, densely pubes­cent when young; leaflets ovate, elliptic, or oblong, 2-6 × 0.8-3 cm, brown glandular punctate, sparsely pubescent on veins, base rounded, margin somewhat undulate, apex acute or obtuse. Racemes with rachis shorter than or ca. as long as leaves, densely glandular punctate, densely hairy when young; bracts oblong-lanceolate, ca. 3 mm, densely glandular punctate and pubescent. Calyx campanulate, 5-7 mm, densely glandular punctate and pubescent, 5-toothed; upper 2 teeth joined to 1/2 from base. Corolla purple or light purple; standard narrowly elliptic, 6-9(-12) × 4-7 mm, base shortly clawed, apex rounded; wings ca. as long as standard, obviously auriculate and clawed; keel shorter, auriculate and clawed. Legume straight or slightly curved, elliptic or oblong, 8-30 × 5-10 mm, inflated or somewhat constricted between seeds, brown glan­dular punctate and glandular hairy, sparsely villous. Seeds 1-4, green, orbicular, 2-3 mm in diam. Fl. May-Jul, fr. Jun-Oct. 2n = 16*.

Riverbanks, dry stream banks, margins of farms, wastelands; ca. 1100 m. Gansu, Nei Mongol, Xinjiang [Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mon­golia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan].