Common comfrey - Symphytum officinale

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Common comfrey - Symphytum officinale
© Dr Chris Gibson/English Nature

Common comfrey is a perennial plant of damp grassy places, riverbanks and ditches and is found in the wild throughout England. Clusters of drooping tubular flowers appear from May onwards and can vary in colour from white to purplish-pink. It is a clump-forming plant with large, oval, bristly leaves that will grow well in sun or semi-shade, but preferring a moist soil.

Comfrey has become an important plant for the organic gardening movement. It has thick, far reaching roots which access minerals deep in the soil, making it rich in potassium and nitrogen. The fast-growing leaves can be cut several times a year to make an organic slug control, liquid fertiliser, leaf mould and compost activator. Comfrey has long been associated with herbal medicines and there is no doubt that it can be effective in the treatment of sprains and bruises. Many people use it to ease the pain of arthritic joints and the roots mashed into a paste may help to heal wounds.

Animals

Buff-tailed bumble bee, Common carder bumble bee, Honey bee, Red mason bee, Red-tailed bumble bee, White-tailed bumble bee

Foliage	Green
Flower	Pink, May to July
Moisture	(Average)
Sunlight	(Full sun to Part-shade)
Origin	Native