Symphytum

Symphytum subsp. var.	Comfrey, Knitbone
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Comfrey (also comphrey) is an important herb in organic gardening, having many fertilizer and purported medicinal uses.

[hide]Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Symphytum (Greek, to grow together, in reference to the supposed healing virtues), Boraginaceae. Comfrey. Erect often hispid herbs, usually hardy in all but the far North, sometimes grown for the variegated foliage of some species. Roots sometimes tuberous: lvs. alternate or several radical ones; the cauline sometimes decurrent; the upper sometimes strongly approximate, almost opposite: cymes terminal, usually single or twice bifid or simple unilateral racemes: fls. yellowish, blue, or purplish, pedicelled; calyx 5-cleft or -parted, lobes or segms. linear; corolla broadly tubular, lobes 5, very short; stamens 5; ovary distinctly 4-lobed: nutlets 4, obliquely ovoid, erect, rugose.—About 25 species, Eu., N. Afr., and W. Asia. Monographed by C. Bucknall in Journal of the Linnean Society, vol. 41 (1913). Of easy cult. in any good soil. The shade of overhanging trees is not objectionable. When grown for the beauty of the variegated foliage, the flowering sts. may be removed with advantage. Useful in borders. CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Cultivation

The comfrey bed should be well prepared by weeding thoroughly, and dressing with manure if available. Offsets should be planted 2–3 feet apart with the growing points just below the surface, whilst root segments should be buried about 2 inches deep. Keep the bed well watered until the young plants are established. Comfrey should not be harvested in its first season as it needs to become established. Any flowering stems should be removed as these will weaken the plant in its first year.

Comfrey is a fast growing plant, producing huge amounts of leaf during the growing season, and hence is very nitrogen hungry. Although it will continue to grow no matter what, it will benefit from the addition of animal manure applied as a mulch, and can also be mulched with other nitrogen rich materials such as lawn mowings, and is one of the few plants that will tolerate the application of fresh urine diluted 50:50 with water, although this should not be regularly added as it may increase salt levels in the soil and have adverse effects on soil life such as worms. Mature comfrey plants can be harvested up to four or five times a year. They are ready for cutting when about 2 feet high, and, depending on seasonal conditions, this is usually in mid-Spring. Comfrey will rapidly regrow, and will be ready for further cutting about 5 weeks later. It is said that the best time to cut comfrey is shortly before flowering, for this is when it is at its most potent in terms of the nutrients that it offers. Comfrey can continue growing into mid-Autumn, but it is not advisable to continue taking cuttings after early Autumn in order to allow the plants to build up winter reserves. As the leaves die back and break down in winter, nutrients and minerals are transported back to the roots for use the following spring.

Comfrey should be harvested by using either shears, a sickle, or a scythe to cut the plant about 2 inches above the ground, taking care handling it because the leaves and stems are covered in hairs that can irritate the skin. It is advisable to wear gloves when handling comfrey. Despite being sterile, Bocking 14 Russian Comfrey will steadily increase in size. It is therefore advisable to split it up every few years (and at the same time propagate more plants that can be shared with fellow gardeners!). It is however difficult to remove comfrey once established as it is very deep rooting, and any fragments left in the soil will regrow. Rotovation can be successful, but may take several seasons. The best way to eradicate comfrey is to very carefully dig it out, removing as much of the root as possible. This is best done in hot, dry summer weather, wherein the dry conditions will help to kill off any remaining root stumps. Comfrey is generally trouble free once established, although weaker or stressed plants can suffer from comfrey rust or mildew. Both are fungal diseases, although they rarely seriously reduce plant growth and thus do not generally require control. However infected plants should not be used for propagation purposes.

Propagation

Bocking 14 is sterile, and therefore will not set seed (one of its advantages over other cultivars as it will not spread out of control), thus is propagated from root cuttings. The gardener can produce their own ‘offsets’ from mature, strongly growing plants by driving a spade horizontally through the leaf clumps about 3 inches below the soil surface. This removes the crown, which can then be split into pieces. The original plant will quickly recover, and each piece can be replanted with the growing points just below the soil surface, and will quickly grow into new plants. When choosing plants to divide, ensure that they are strong healthy specimens with no signs of rust or mildew. When dividing comfrey plants, take care not to spread root fragments around, or dispose of on the compost heap, as each can re-root, and comfrey can be a very difficult plant to get rid of. Offsets can also be purchased by mail order from specialist nurseries in order to initially build up a stock of plants.

Varieties

Other species include:

• Symphytum asperum, Prickly Comfrey, Rough Comfrey (synonym: S. asperrimum)
• Symphytum bulbosum, Bulbous Comfrey
• Symphytum caucasicum, Caucasian Comfrey
• Symphytum grandiflorum
• Symphytum ibericum, Creeping Comfrey
• Symphytum officinale
• Symphytum orientale, White Comfrey
• Symphytum tauricum, Crimean Comfrey
• Symphytum tuberosum, Tuberous Comfrey
• Symphytum × uplandicum, Russian Comfrey, Healing Herb, Blackwort, Bruisewort, Wallwort, Gum Plant. (S. asperum x officinale, synonym: S. peregrinum)

(all of these comfreys are poisonous)

• Symphytum 'Goldsmith'
• Symphytum 'Hidcote Blue'

Gallery

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External links

• w:Symphytum. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Symphytum QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)