Symphytum orientale, White Comfrey

Common Name: White Comfrey

Symphytum orientale, more commonly known as White Comfrey, is a hairy plant of damp ground and is often found beside rivers, in fens and ditches, and on roadside verges and waste ground. It displays clusters of bell-shaped white flowers from May to July and often grows in clumps.

It has become an important plant for organic gardeners as its roots reach deep into the soil making it rich in minerals and its leaves can be used for slug control, as a fertiliser and as a composting aid.

The comfreys are a small group, but can be difficult to tell apart from each other as hybrids between species are common. White Comfrey has large, oval, hairy leaves and clusters of drooping, white tubular flowers. Grows all over the UK, but predominantly in England.

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