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
Wyethia glabra Wyethia glabra Wyethia glabra is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Coast Range mule's ears. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the North and Central Coast Ranges. It is a perennial herb growing from a tough taproot and caudex unit and producing a stem up to 40 centimeters tall. It is hairless to hairy and glandular. The leaves have lance-shaped or oval blades up to 45 centimeters long. The inflorescence is usually a solitary flower head or occasionally a cluster of 2 or more. The head has lance-shaped leaflike