Objective To investigate the properties, identification features, and contents of effective constituents of Radix Glycyrrhizae from Xinjiang and Gansu, China, as well as the quality of the medicinal material and decoction pieces of Radix Glycyrrhizae from main producing areas with different growth conditions, and to provide a theoretical basis for further development and exploitation of Radix Glycyrrhizae. Methods Morphological identification was performed to describe the properties of Radix Glycyrrhizae, the microscopic identification method was used to display the structural features of Radix Glycyrrhizae powder and slices, and high- performance liquid chromatography was used to measure the contents of effective constituents. Results As for properties, the Radix Glycyrrhizae medicinal material from Xinjiang had a slightly larger average diameter than that from Gansu. As for microscopic features, the Radix Glycyrrhizae medicinal material from these two producing area had a basically similar structure, but Radix Glycyrrhizae planted in Xinjiang had a slightly higher number of starch granules and a slightly larger average diameter. As for the contents of effective constituents, the average content of glycyrrhizic acid in Xinjiang Radix Glycyrrhizae was about 1.5 times that in Gansu Radix Glycyrrhizae. Conclusion The identification and quality evaluation of Radix Glycyrrhizae in Xinjiang and Gansu provides a theoretical basis for the research on the quality standard and the subsequent development of Radix Glycyrrhizae.