Symphytum asperum Lepechin
rough comfrey (prickly comfrey)
Boraginaceae (Borage family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

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Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Symphytum asperum
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Species Information

General:
Perennial herb from a thick taproot; stems branched, not winged, 0.3-1.2 m tall; stem and inflorescence with coarse, spreading, bristly hairs.
Leaves:
Basal leaves stalked, large, the blades elliptic to egg-shaped or narrowly egg-shaped, heart-shaped or rounded at the base, 15-20 cm long and 5-10 cm wide; stem leaves ample, gradually becoming smaller and shorter-stalked upward, with long-tapering, pointed tips, with coarse bristly hairs on both surfaces, entire, alternate.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of several to many small, coiled, bractless clusters; corollas blue (pink in bud), tubular bell-shaped, 1-1.5 cm long; petals fused at base into a tube that flares at top to bell-shaped limb (longer than tube) and 5 lobes, the lobe tips erect, the throat with 5 narrow, hairy bulges; calyx teeth blunt-tipped.
Fruits:
Nutlets 4, clustered together, curved inward, granular, finely wrinkled.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Symphytum asperum

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Avg

Min

Max

Elevation (metres)
570 570 570
Slope Gradient (%)
30 30 30

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

245 246 246
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
3 3 3
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
C
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
1
Modal BEC Zone Class
BWBS

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

BWBS(1)

Habitat and Range

Wet to mesic roadsides and waste places in the lowland, steppe and lower montane zones; rare in S BC, infrequent northward; introduced from Europe.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Symphytum asperrimum Donn ex Sims