Symphytum tuberosum
Encyclopedia
Symphytum tuberosum, the Tuberous Comfrey or in Gaelic Meacan Dubh Cnapach, is a species of Symphytum
in the Boraginaceae
family.
s that allow it to spread out from the original site, colonising and competing as it grows. This process continues into the autumn and the young clonal plants can be seen at this time of year, whilst the parent plants leaves are rotting down. Being very hardy, this plant is well able to survive northern winters.
Both the stems and leaves are softly hairy, the leaves have deep veining.
The flowers themselves are a subtle pale creamy yellow, a significant characteristic for separating its identity from the purple flowered Russian Comfrey. The usual pollinators are the common carder bumble bee, honey bee, and red mason bee. The stem and leaves are clothed with soft hairs. The stem usually remains unbranched and the leaves are distinctly veined with a clear reduction in size from top to base.
Distribution maps of the United Kingdom show the species to be common in Scotland and present, but uncommon, throughout much of England and Wales.
The Skye now has a well established and wide distribution thanks to planting, this has also occurred in Ireland. The North American west coast has a number of introduced S. tuberosum sites.
healing role that Tuberous Comfrey and the various hybrid comfreys have played in herbal medicine throughout the ages. In these traditional cures, the recipes make use of the leaves & roots, the former being used to speed up the healing of minor abrasions through their being applied directly to the damaged skin under a compress.
Symphytum
Symphytum is a genus in the Boraginaceae family. Its species are known by the common name comfrey. Some species and hybrids, particularly S. officinale and S. × uplandicum, are used in gardening and herbal medicine.Species include:...
in the Boraginaceae
Boraginaceae
Boraginaceae, the Borage or Forget-me-not family, include a variety of shrubs, trees, and herbs, totaling about 2,000 species in 146 genera found worldwide.A number of familiar plants belong to this family....
family.
Species characteristics
Tuberous Comfrey flowers from April to June, however it also reproduces asexually, that is vegetatively, having rhizomeRhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
s that allow it to spread out from the original site, colonising and competing as it grows. This process continues into the autumn and the young clonal plants can be seen at this time of year, whilst the parent plants leaves are rotting down. Being very hardy, this plant is well able to survive northern winters.
Both the stems and leaves are softly hairy, the leaves have deep veining.
The flowers themselves are a subtle pale creamy yellow, a significant characteristic for separating its identity from the purple flowered Russian Comfrey. The usual pollinators are the common carder bumble bee, honey bee, and red mason bee. The stem and leaves are clothed with soft hairs. The stem usually remains unbranched and the leaves are distinctly veined with a clear reduction in size from top to base.
Distribution
S. tuberosum is naturally limited to the northern half of Great Britain, however it can be found throughout Europe.Distribution maps of the United Kingdom show the species to be common in Scotland and present, but uncommon, throughout much of England and Wales.
The Skye now has a well established and wide distribution thanks to planting, this has also occurred in Ireland. The North American west coast has a number of introduced S. tuberosum sites.
Medicinal uses
Vernacular common names such as 'Knitbone' reveal the homeopathicHomeopathy
Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine in which practitioners claim to treat patients using highly diluted preparations that are believed to cause healthy people to exhibit symptoms that are similar to those exhibited by the patient...
healing role that Tuberous Comfrey and the various hybrid comfreys have played in herbal medicine throughout the ages. In these traditional cures, the recipes make use of the leaves & roots, the former being used to speed up the healing of minor abrasions through their being applied directly to the damaged skin under a compress.