Plants : BoraginaceaeFerns and Flowering Plants

Symphytum officinale L.

Common Comfrey

3984.jpg
Symphytum officinale

Description: A tall, rank, bristly herbaceous perennial, with pale cream or purple, tubular flowers and a wing running down the stem below each leaf base. Probably native to Ireland.

This and the similar Symphytum x uplandicum are Northern Ireland's two commonest comfreys, found on river banks, roadsides and waste ground. S. officinale differs from S. x uplandicum by being more bristly and by the leaves being strongly decurrent down the stems (i.e. they have a winged stem below the leaves).

All names: Symphytum officinale L.

Distribution Map from NBN: Symphytum officinale at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Symphytum officinale at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

 Hackney, P., 2026. Symphytum officinale. L.. [In] Flora of Northern Ireland.
https://habitas.org/flora/species.php?item=3984. Accessed on 2026-11-02.