Plant ID: Comfrey-like plant

[Toadflax]

I've had this in my garden for a few years, keeps popping up, and had assumed it was comfrey, but further checking today suggests otherwise.

The flowers appear very similar to a white comfrey, but the leaves are not nearly so lanceolate as comfrey, and seem more to resemble borage leaves. The overall structure of the plant appears to be borage family, but I've looked right through my Rose and Fitter/Fitter/Blamey books but can't find a match.

 

[locum76]

The flower looks like borage but the leaves don't, I'm stumped by this one. Is it in flower now?

 

[Toadflax]

Yes, it is currently in flower.

I've always assumed it was comfrey, but, since planting Borage and Comfrey last year, it's clear that it isn't either of them.

It keeps re-seeding well each year, but doesn't seem ornamental enough to be a 'proper' garden plant.


Geoff

 

[littlebiglane]

Y'know I've got a problem with one too - and its really quite similar but was in flower in October - was on the Somerset Levels near the peat moor centre and by marshland:

Sorry about piccies some a bit out of focus but it looks like a similar plant - especially the last photo

 

[hertsboy]

The leaves are petiolated and appear to be pubescent.

These characteristics, together with the early flowering of this plant, seem to indicate that this is Symphylum orientale.

This is a graden escape, but naturalised especially in Southern England

 

[littlebiglane]

Hmmmm. Except my plant was coming into flower in October. Maybe its different from the one in the first post by Toadflax but the leaves and stem are very similar and the flowers are two - especially in the last photo where specimen is in full flower.

 

[locum76]

littlebiglane, yours IS comfrey.

 

[littlebiglane]

littlebiglane, yours IS comfrey.

Hurrah....I knew that!

Thanks. I am a dippy docus sometimes.....

 

[Toadflax]

These characteristics, together with the early flowering of this plant, seem to indicate that this is Symphylum orientale.

Yes - that's the one. Thanks.

It does appear in the Rose and Fitter books, but not in great detail.


Geoff

 

[Jumbalaya]

Def. right there. There's a few shots of emerging comfrey leaves on a video I posted the other day on YT at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ2oJ-cjbUk

Plus a few cautionary words on eating/consuming comfrey.