White comfrey

We saw these plants whilst out looking at bluebells yesterday.  I didn't know what they were, so I took a photo.

It took quite a while to identify them, my book of British Wild flowers didn't help at all.  Eventually I found a photo on the internet, and identified them as white comfrey - Symphytum orientale.  A non-native plant, introduced back in the 1750s as a garden plant, escaped into the wild in the 19th Century, and now quite widespread in the south and east.  

After spending so long identifying them, I didn't want to waste the research, so popped back down the road today to take a few more photos, for today's blip.  There's quite a little spread of them on the roadside verge - see extra - mixed with what I think are angelica, and a plant I recently learnt from JDO is called garlic mustard or Jack by the Hedge, and which grows wild in the uncultivated bit at the bottom of our garden.  

I might see if I can introduce some of the white comfrey in the same area, as it is reported to be liked by bees, to only spread by seed, and not have the "thuggish" behaviour of other comfrey.

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