Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)

Edibility:Edible

Eating notes: Comfrey's large leaves are what is eaten. They can be wilted-down like spinach. Finely chopped they can used in sauces and dips.  There is also a German recipe for deep frying the leaves in batter.

A common plant of damp areas and river-sides.

Height: 60 - 120cm

Leaves: Very large and spear-shaped and hairy. Indented veins are visible on the top surface, while the underside is noticeably paler.

Flowers: Bell-shaped growing in bunches. The colour is very variable, anything from white, through pink, to deep purple

Stems: Stems are thick fleshy and hairy. Becoming tougher and stringy with age.

Other: These plants die-back every year and then regrow in the spring from the large tap root.

Look-a-likes: Similar to Borage, but Comfrey's leaves are larger and Borages flowers are star-shaped rather than bell-like.