OUR COMFREYS 213 



The leaves are very large and, when young, form a 

 good culinary vegetable, while the flowers are of a 

 pale dull yellow ordinarily, but with a strong in- 

 clination to vary to purple. The tuberous comfrey 

 S. tuberosum has its flowers somewhat brighter 

 in their yellow ; the plant, as a whole, is very much 

 smaller. It is rare in England, but frequent in 

 Scotland ; our plants were sent to us from Leicester- 

 shire by a brother-botanist. It is the larger of the 

 two plants that we figure on Plate XXII. We find 

 by experience that the soil around it must be kept 

 very damp. When this precaution is neglected the 

 whole plant is quickly prostrate, but, fortunately, 

 quickly revives when its need is supplied. The 

 second plant on the Plate is the purple comfrey 

 S. peregrinum a very handsome plant, and it is 

 this and the common species that have been utilised 

 as fodder plants. It is a point in their favour that 

 they will grow luxuriantly on water-logged land 

 that is good for little else. The only objection 

 that we personally have is that they really grow 

 too luxuriantly, taking up overmuch room. Our 

 plants of purple comfrey are over four feet high and 

 some six feet round. 



The common comfrey is somewhat astringent, 

 and has for centuries unnumbered been held in 

 high esteem as a vulnerary plant. Its generic 

 name is from a Greek word that signifies to unite, 

 and its popular names, comfrey, consound, knit- 



