Polypodium glycyrrhiza very often associated with Acer macrophyllum. The fern is mycorrhizal, meaning it can form root associations with the hyphae of fungi. The sweet flavor of the rhizome was once attributed to the glycoside glycyrrhizin. However, a study has shown that the flavor may actually be due to polypodoside, which is 600 times sweeter than 6% sucrose solution. Licorice fern is cultivated as an ornamental garden plant. The cultivar 'Longicaudatum' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. The licorice fern is sometimes valued for its licorice-flavored rhizome. Occasionally it is chewed, and it can also be brewed into
Schisandra glabra more. Leaves are elliptic to cordate (heart-shaped), up to 13 cm (5.2 inches) long. The plant is monoecious, with staminate (male, pollen-producing) and pistillate (female, seed-producing) flowers separate on the same plant. Sepals are whitish, petals pink or red. Berries are red, spherical to ellipsoid, up to 15 mm (0.6 inches) long. It can be found in wooded bluffs, hillsides and ravines at elevations less than 500 m (1650 feet). Some sources spell the name "Schizandra", while others use the now-rejected name "Stellandria". "Schisandra" is the accepted spelling. Schisandra glabra Schisandra glabra, the bay star-vine, is the only American species