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Symphytum asperum
| Common name: |
Prickly Comfrey |
Family: |
Boraginaceae |
| Author: |
Lepech. |
Botanical references: |
17, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
|
| Known Hazards: |
No reports of toxicity have been seen for this species, but the following reports have been seen for S. officinale.
This plant contains small quantities of a toxic alkaloid which can have a cumulative effect upon the liver. Largest concentrations are found in the roots, leaves contain higher quantities of the alkaloid as they grow older and young leaves contain almost none. Most people would have to consume very large quantities of the plant in order to do any harm, though anyone with liver problems should obviously be more cautious. In general, the health-promoting properties of the plant probably far outweigh any possible disbenefits, especially if only the younger leaves are used. |
| Range: |
Europe to W. Asia. Occasionally naturalized in Britain. |
| Habitat: |
Waste places in Britain[17]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
3 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 2 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| S. asperrimum[B,G,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Prickly Comfrey [H,P,B,L], Rough Comfrey [L], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
asper = rough;
asperum = rough;
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Lamiales. Borage family
|
| Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds | From USDA
PLANTS database, Weeds Australia
, DEFRA Injurious Weeds | | Listed as noxious/invasive for: California. |
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 1.5m by 0.6m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen from June to July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.
We rate it 3/5 for edibility and
2/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.Edible Uses
Leaves; Tea.
The following reports are for S. officinale, they are said to also
apply to this species[200].
Young leaves - cooked or raw[2, 4, 5, 9, 46, 61]. The leaf is hairy and the
texture is mucilaginous. It may be full of minerals but it is not pleasant
eating for most tastes. It can be chopped up finely and added to salads, in
this way the hairiness is not so obvious[183].
Young shoots can be used as an asparagus substitute[46]. The blanched stalks
are used[183].
Older leaves can be dried and used as a tea[26].
The peeled roots are cut up and added to soups[183].
A tea is made from the dried leaves and roots[183].
The roasted roots are used with dandelion and chicory roots for making
coffee[183].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Anodyne; Astringent; Demulcent; Emollient; Expectorant; Haemostatic; Refrigerant; Vulnerary.
The leaves are anodyne, mildly astringent, demulcent, emollient,
expectorant, haemostatic, refrigerant and vulnerary. They are used as an
external poultice in the treatment of cuts, bruises and sprains. Internally,
they are used as a tea in the treatment of chest complaints. The plant
contains a substance called 'allantoin', a cell proliferant that speeds up
the healing process[4, 21, 26, 165].
The leaves are harvested in the summer and can be used fresh or dried.
Other Uses
Biomass; Compost; Gum.
The following reports are for S. officinale, they are said to also
apply to this species[200].
The plant grows very quickly, producing a lot of bulk. It is tolerant of
being cut several times a year and can be used to provide 'instant compost'
for crops such as potatoes. Simply layer the wilted leaves at the bottom of
the potato trench or apply them as a mulch in no-dig gardens. A liquid feed
can be obtained by soaking the leaves in a small amount of water for a week,
excellent for potassium demanding crops such as tomatoes. The leaves are also
a very valuable addition to the compost heap[26, 200].
A gum obtained from the roots was at one time used in the treatment of wool
before it was spun[100].
Cultivation details
Tolerates most soils and situations but prefers a moist soil and some
shade[1, 4]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Best grown in an open sunny site
in a deep rich soil if it is being grown for compost material[200].
Plants can be invasive, often spreading freely by means of self-sown seed.
They are also very difficult to remove, the root system is very deep and even
small fragments of root left in the soil can produce new plants.
Propagation
Seed - sow spring or autumn in a cold frame. When they are large enough
to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in
the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent
positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
If you have sufficient seed you can try an outdoor sowing in situ in the
spring.
Division succeeds at almost any time of the year. Simply use a spade to chop
off the top 7cm of root just below the soil level. The original root will
regrow and you will have a number of root tops, each of which will make a new
plant. These can either be potted up or planted out straight into their
permanent positions.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [C] Taxon data.
from the CalFlora database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for symphytum asperum (a possible synonym).
References for the family Boraginaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[5] Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974 ISBN 0-00-219060-5
Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.
[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[26] Hills. L. Comfrey Report. Henry Doubleday Research Ass.
A small booklet giving a fairly comprehensive guide to the uses of comfrey.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.
[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Readers Comments
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Bibliography
Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Symphytum+asperum
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