Home
Garden Plants


About Comfrey and Malabar Spinach


About Malabar Spinach and Comfrey


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Broadleaf Evergreen  
Vegetable  

Origin
Europe, Russia  
Southeastern Asia, India  

Types
Symphytum officinale (common comfrey), Symphytum asperum (rough comfrey)  
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  

Number of Varieties
2  
99+
5  

Habitat
Cold Regions, stream banks  
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
6-11  
-9999  

AHS Heat Zone
-  
12*7  

Sunset Zone
21,22  
H1, H2, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24  

Habit
Upright/Erect  
Vining/Climbing  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
20.00 cm  
99+
2.40 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
90.00 cm  
99+
24.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
White, Light Pink  
Red, Green, Orange Red  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
Orange Red  
White, Ivory  

Leaf Color in Spring
Red, Green, Copper  
Green, Light Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Blue Green  
Green, Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Blue Green  
Purple, Gray Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
Red, Dark Green, Burgundy, Bronze  
Purple, Gray Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Oval  
Heart-shaped  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter  
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter  

Growing Conditions
  
  

Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  

Growth Rate
Medium  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam  

The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral  
Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer  
-  

Repeat Bloomer
No  
Yes  

Tolerances
-  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Container, Ground  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Root Division, Transplanting  
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  

Plant Maintenance
Low  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Allow to dry out slightly between watering, Water daily during growing season  
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil  

In Summer
Lots of watering  
Average Water  

In Spring
Moderate  
Moderate  

In Winter
Average Water  
Average Water  

Soil
  
  

Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral  
Neutral  

Soil Type
Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
Well drained  

Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  

Pruning
Cut or pinch the stems, Remove dead leaves  
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  

Fertilizers
14-14-14 Fertilizer, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, can go long without fertilizers  
Nitrogen  

Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Stem spot  
Aphids  

Plant Tolerance
Shallow soil, Sun  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
Yes  
Yes  

Edible Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
Yes  
No  

Fragrant Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrant Leaf
No  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
No  

Showy Foliage
Yes  
Yes  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Glossy  

Evergreen
No  
Yes  

Invasive
Sometimes  
Sometimes  

Self-Sowing
No  
Yes  

Attracts
Ants, Butterflies, pollinators  
-  

Allergy
Antibacterial, Peripheral Edema  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes  
-  

Beauty Benefits
Acne, Beautiful Skin, Reduce Bruises, Remove blemishes  
-  

Edible Uses
No  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification, Fixes Nitrogen  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Asthma, Diarrhea, Obesity, Osteoarthritis  
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C  

Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Twigs  
Leaves  

Other Uses
Used for its medicinal properties  
Used As Food  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Foundation, Groundcover, Hedges, Mixed Border, Tropical  
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
Symphytum asperum  
BASELLA alba  

Common Name
Comfrey,Black Root, Blackwort, Bruisewort  
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  

In Hindi
Blackwort  
पोई  

In German
Blackwort  
Malabarspinat  

In French
Blackwort  
L’épinard de Malabar  

In Spanish
Blackwort  
espinaca de Malabar  

In Greek
Blackwort  
Malabar Σπανάκι  

In Portuguese
Blackwort  
Malabar espinafre  

In Polish
Blackwort  
Szpinak Malabar  

In Latin
Blackwort  
Spinach Malabar  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Magnoliopsida  
Eudicotyledones  

Order
Lamiales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Boraginaceae  
Basellaceae  

Genus
Symphytum  
Basella  

Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids  
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
Boraginoideae  
-  

Number of Species
35  
60  

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Comfrey and Malabar Spinach

Wondering what are the properties of Comfrey and Malabar Spinach? We provide you with everything About Comfrey and Malabar Spinach. Comfrey doesn't have thorns and Malabar Spinach doesn't have thorns. Also Comfrey does not have fragrant flowers. Comfrey has allergic reactions like Antibacterial and Peripheral Edema and Malabar Spinach has allergic reactions like Antibacterial and Peripheral Edema. Compare all the properties and characteristics of these two plants. Find out which of these plant can be used as indoor plant. If you are interested to decorate your house and garden, find out aesthetic uses, compare them and select the plant which will beautify your surrounding. Along with beautification, try comparing medicinal and edible uses of Comfrey and Malabar Spinach and you can choose the plant having best and most benefits.

Compare List of Herbs

Season and Care of Comfrey and Malabar Spinach

Season and care of Comfrey and Malabar Spinach is important to know. While considering everything about Comfrey and Malabar Spinach Care, growing season is an essential factor. Comfrey season is Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter and Malabar Spinach season is Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. The type of soil for Comfrey is Loam, Sand and for Malabar Spinach is Clay, Loam while the PH of soil for Comfrey is Acidic, Neutral and for Malabar Spinach is Neutral.

Comfrey and Malabar Spinach Physical Information

Comfrey and Malabar Spinach physical information is very important for comparison. Comfrey height is 20.00 cm and width 90.00 cm whereas Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm. The color specification of Comfrey and Malabar Spinach are as follows:

Care of Comfrey and Malabar Spinach

Care of Comfrey and Malabar Spinach include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Comfrey pruning is done Cut or pinch the stems and Remove dead leaves and Malabar Spinach pruning is done Remove damaged leaves and Remove dead leaves. In summer Comfrey needs Lots of watering and in winter, it needs Average Water. Whereas, in summer Malabar Spinach needs Average Water and in winter, it needs Average Water.

List of Herbs

List of Herbs

» More List of Herbs

Compare List of Herbs

» More Compare List of Herbs