Liquorice

I have a liquorice plant in a large 15" pot.
It grew well last year with four new shoots to about 2ft high.
Does anyone know if it is meant to be cut back.
The woody remaining growth looks dead and new growth buds are appearing at ground level.
C

Hold your horses....you've just taken me back 55 years.. I would go down the sweet shop and buy a bag of liquorice sticks. I'd forgotten all that until I read your post, now you've got me chasing a plant with hopes of having the odd stick or two..

Uncle Google found these plants ..... Here I think the piggy bank's going to be a little lighter after today..


Found this press report... here a farmer is replanting a whole field of it.

Bring back the good old days I say...

Liquorice root was a favorite. Sweetie shop had a bundle of sticks in a mug on the counter. As you chewed the end frayed. Lasted for days.

It could be because your posts promoted interesting thoughts, but probably because nobody knows the answer. We on this forum are a load of gasbags willing to babble on about nothing in particular whether it is of any interest whatsoever to anyone else or not.

Culpepper says:
'The English liquorice root shoots up several woody stalks, whereon are set, at several distances, many narrow, long green leaves, set together on both sides of the stalks and an odd one at the end, nearly resembling a young ash tree sprung up from the seed. . . . This, by many years of continuance in a place without removal, and not else, will bring forth numerous flowers, standing together spike fashion, one above another upon the stalks in the form of pea-blossoms, but of a very pale blue colour, which turn into long, somewhat flat and smooth pods, wherein is contained small, round, hard seed. The root runneth down exceeding far into the ground, with divers smaller roots . . . they shoot out suckers in every direction, by which means the product is greatly increased.'

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/l/liquor32.html