LIQUORICE 



319 



crown of the root, which shows the remains of several stems, being 

 occasionally as much as 10 cm. in diameter. The texture is commonly 

 looser and more fibrous than that of the Spanish drug, and the taste, 

 although sweet, is accompanied by a more or less perceptible but not 

 strong bitterness or acridity. 



Unpeeled Russian liquorice shows a close resemblance to the 

 Spanish. It consists, however, chiefly of roots (instead of runners) 



FIG. 163. Compressed bales of natural (unpeeled) 

 Liquorice root. 



which are destitute of pith and exhibit no traces of buds ; their colour 

 is purplish rather than brown, and the cork is often scaly. The 

 official description is framed so as to include peeled Russian (and 

 other) liquorice root provided that it complies with the official 

 characters (' taste sweet and almost free from bitterness '). 



Persian Liquorice Root. Liquorice root is also largely collected in 

 the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates from G. glabra, var. ft. violacea, 

 and exported in bales from Bussorah. It is usually unpeeled and in 

 rather large coarse pieces closely resembling the unpeeled Russian 

 root ; it is largely consumed in America. 



Anatolian and Syrian liquorice are exported from Smyrna and 



