Symphytum asperum
| Symphytum asperum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 5' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Symphytum asperum (common name: prickly comfrey)
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.
Cultivation: Tolerates most soils and situations but prefers a moist soil and some shade[1][2]. 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[3].
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.
Range: Europe to W. Asia. Occasionally naturalized in Britain.
Habitat: Waste places in Britain[4].
Edibility: The following reports are for S. officinale, they are said to also apply to this species[3].
Young leaves - cooked or raw[5][2][6][7][8][9]. 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[10].
Young shoots can be used as an asparagus substitute[8]. The blanched stalks are used[10].
Older leaves can be dried and used as a tea[11].
The peeled roots are cut up and added to soups[10].
A tea is made from the dried leaves and roots[10].
The roasted roots are used with dandelion and chicory roots for making coffee[10].
Medicinal: 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[2][12][11][13].
The leaves are harvested in the summer and can be used fresh or dried.
Usage: The following reports are for S. officinale, they are said to also apply to this species[3].
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[11][3].
A gum obtained from the roots was at one time used in the treatment of wool before it was spun[14].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Early Summer-Mid Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Known Hazards: No reports of toxicity have been seen for this species, but the following reports have been seen for S. officinale._x005F
This plant contains small quantities of a toxic alkaloid which can have a cumulative effect upon the liver. Largest concentrations are fou
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
- ↑ Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Hills, Lawrence. Comfrey Report. Henry Doubleday Research Association, 1975.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.