Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Broadleaf Evergreen
Origin
Europe
Europe, Russia
Types
-
Symphytum officinale (common comfrey), Symphytum asperum (rough comfrey)
Number of Varieties
302
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cultivated Beds, Waste areas
Cold Regions, stream banks
USDA Hardiness Zone
6-96-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
-
Sunset Zone
-
21,22
Habit
Clump-Forming
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
40.00 cm20.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.00 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow
White, Light Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
White
Orange Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Gray Green
Red, Green, Copper
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green, Gray Green
Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Fall
-
Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Red, Dark Green, Burgundy, Bronze
Shape
Leaf Shape
Arrowhead
Oval
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
-
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Root Division, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires regular watering
Allow to dry out slightly between watering, Water daily during growing season
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Moist
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Cut or pinch the stems, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
14-14-14 Fertilizer, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, can go long without fertilizers
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Aphids, Stem spot
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Shallow soil, Sun
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Ants, Butterflies, pollinators
Allergy
-
Antibacterial, Peripheral Edema
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Acne, Beautiful Skin, Reduce Bruises, Remove blemishes
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, Fixes Nitrogen
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Anxiety, Cough, Insomnia, Rheumatism, Wounds
Asthma, Diarrhea, Obesity, Osteoarthritis
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves
Leaves, Twigs
Other Uses
Showy Purposes
Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
-
Container, Feature Plant, Foundation, Groundcover, Hedges, Mixed Border, Tropical
Botanical Name
LACTUCA serriola
Symphytum asperum
Common Name
Compass Plant, Horse Thistle, Prickly Lettuce
Comfrey,Black Root, Blackwort, Bruisewort
In Hindi
Prickly Lettuce
Blackwort
In German
Feigensalat
Blackwort
In French
laitue scariole
Blackwort
In Spanish
lechuga espinosa
Blackwort
In Greek
φραγκοσυκιές Μαρούλι
Blackwort
In Portuguese
alface espinhosa
Blackwort
In Polish
Kolczasta Sałata
Blackwort
In Latin
Opuntia Lactuca
Blackwort
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Asterales
Lamiales
Family
Asteraceae
Boraginaceae
Genus
Lactuca
Symphytum
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Cichorieae
-
Subfamily
-
Boraginoideae
Number of Species
10035
1
27800
👆🏻