Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Boraginales > Boraginaceae > Symphytum > Symphytum anatolicumSymphytum anatolicum (prickly comfrey; consoude apre; rough comfrey)Synonyms: Symphytum asperrimum (heterotypic); Symphytum sicyosmum | Edible [1] | May be edible. See the Plants For A Future link below for details. | | Flower Type [1] | Hermaphrodite | | Hazards [1] | No reports of toxicity have been seen for this species, but the following reports have been seen for S. officinale.
This plant contains small quantities of a toxic alkaloid which can have a cumulative effect upon the liver. Largest concentrations are found in the roots, leaves contain higher quantities of the alkaloid as they grow older and young leaves contain almost none. Most people would have to consume very large quantities of the plant in order to do any harm, though anyone with liver problems should obviously be more cautious. In general, the health-promoting properties of the plant probably far outweigh any possible disbenefits, especially if only the younger leaves are used. | | Lifespan [1] | Perennial | | Pollinators [1] | Bees | | Structure [3] | Herb | | Usage [1] | The following reports are for S. officinale, they are said to also apply to this species;
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;
A gum obtained from the roots was at one time used in the treatment of wool before it was spun; |  | | Height [1] | 4.92 feet (1.5 m) | | Width [1] | 24 inches (0.6 m) | | | Light Preference [2] | Mostly Sunny | | Soil Fertility [2] | Rich | | Soil Moisture [2] | Moist |
View Plants For A Future Record : Symphytum anatolicum |
Attributes / relations provided by ♦ 1Plants For A Future licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License♦ 2Ellenberg, H., Weber, H.E., Dull, R., Wirth, V., Werner, W., Paulissen, D. (1991)
Zeigerwerte von Pflanzen in Mitteleuropa. Scripta Geobotanica 18, 1–248 ♦ 3Kattge, J. et al. (2011b) TRY - a global database of plant traits Global Change Biology 17:2905-2935 |
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0
|
