Polypodium glycyrrhiza a licorice-flavored tea. It may be used as a medicine for colds and respiratory conditions by indigenous peoples. It is considered an important medical plant and may have been used similar to cough drops. Since the rhizome is so sweet even in its naturally occurring state, and since the chemical is not a saccharide, it is possible that this compound could be used as a natural alternative to traditional sweeteners. Polypodium glycyrrhiza Polypodium glycyrrhiza, commonly known as licorice fern, many-footed fern, and sweet root, is a summer deciduous fern native to western North America, primarily in a narrow strip in
Tolman Sweet prairie region of the Middle West, Tolman Sweet has gained the reputation of being one of the hardiest of the old New England varieties. For this reason it is often selected as a stock upon which to top-graft less hardy kinds. The tree comes into bearing at a moderately early age, and, generally speaking, is a reliable cropper, yielding from moderate to heavy crops biennially or sometimes almost annually." The same source was unable to locate the origin of the variety, perhaps coming from Massachusetts. It was among the most popular sweet varieties in orchards in New York State at